


Feral (A Gabentine Fic)

by ShadyTrees98



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 12:46:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 35,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadyTrees98/pseuds/ShadyTrees98
Summary: Clementine Marsh was eight years old when the apocalypse happened and met a man named Lee. They traveled together, far and wide, to find a safe place. However, they were separated trying to leave Savannah and haven't see each other since. 10 years later, Clementine has traveled with many groups, trying to find any sign Lee and if he's still alive. But, something strange lurks in the distance and it isn't like anything she's seen before.Note: Lee getting bit and shot in the game does not occur in this book. But, Clementine does meet everyone that she does in the game and things like that will remain the same. The only thing that has changed is Lee's death. This book is entirely through Clementine's POV. ALSO, season 3 never happened and Clementine never met Javi or his family.





	1. Chapter 1

In The Beginning   
(End of Season One)

"You son of a bitch! Just go away, die!"

Bang!

The gun had went off before I even knew I pulled the trigger. The bad man slumped dead over Lee and he shoved him off and stood. My eyes remained focused on the man I just shot and my arms were still outstretched with the gun shaking in my palms. They finally dropped to my side as Lee approached me and I dropped the gun. 

"I......I....I.."

My voice quivered from shock of what I had just done and Lee took me into his arms. He whispered comforting words in me ear to soothe me and I pulled back and looked at him. He was covered in the dark blood and reeked like something dead. 

"You look horrible."

"That's what he said."

My nose scrunched up as I got another smell of Lee. 

"You don't smell good. Let's go somewhere safe."

Lee gave me sweet smile and stood up, grabbing the gun I dropped as well, with his hand outstretched for me to take. I did so without hesitation and we walked down the hallway. 

"That's the best idea I've heard all day."

We walked hand in hand to the exit of the motel and I heard the groans from the monsters. A shiver ran down my spine at the sound and Lee noticed. 

"It's okay, sweet pea. I know a way to get by them but, you probably won't like it."

I began to worry about what we would have to do and watched Lee walk over to the front desk, where a dead monster was slouched on the desk. Lee walked cautiously over to it with his knife ready to kill but, the monster didn't move as Lee nudged it. Lee looked my way and motioned me over as he laid the monster on the floor. I felt sick as Lee cut open the monster and smudged it's blood all over me. He wiped a little bit on my cheek and then pulled me into a gross hug. 

"Clementine, they won't bother you unless you make a sound. And if we get separated, I want you to go find Christa and Omid on the outskirts of town. Okay?"

I nodded my head in understanding and we made our way out of the hotel. The monsters came very close to me but, I stayed quiet. We were almost through them when I looked to the side. A whimper escaped my mouth as I seen my mom and dad but, Lee quickly took my hand and squeezed it. I shut my eyes and turned my head away from them. We walked for a couple more minutes until finally reaching a empty convenient store. 

"Is that all of them? Do we have to walk through more?"

Lee looked down at me and gave me a worried look. 

"I'm not sure, Clem. But, we'll get through them."

I nodded my head and looked around for some food or drinks. My eyes spotted a can of peaches and as I was reaching for it, Lee grabbed me and ran outside. A whole bunch of the monsters were coming in the store and we pushed our way through them. My hand never let go of Lee's but, as we came closer to the edge of a street, a couple of monsters walked straight in front of us. Lee gave me a look and I knew what had to be done. I gave Lee's hand one last squeeze before letting go and getting out of the way for the monsters to pass us. All had passed besides one that was walking pretty slow and I made a short sprint over to Lee. 

"Clem! No!"

I didn't know what Lee was yelling about until a gross feeling hand gripped my shoulder. I turned my head just in time to see the slow monster trying to bite my arm. A knife was quickly sunk into its head and I was pushed towards the end of town. I looked back to see the monsters piling around Lee as he fought his way through them. I cried out for him and he waved for me to run away. 

"Go find Christa and Omid!"

I didn't want to leave Lee again and be alone but, he looked angry as he still seen me standing still. I will never forget the words he said after that. 

"Clementine, I will find you! Now GO!"

I whispered goodbye to Lee and, with tears in my eyes, I turned and ran. I didn't look back once and ran until I found an open field with a log. I sat down and cried to myself before realizing that Lee would want me to stay strong and move on. I wiped my tears and stood on shaky legs, looking out in the field. The sun was starting to set and it was getting harder to see but, I spotted two figures walking through the field. With a deep breath in, I picked up my bag and started walking towards the figures.


	2. Big Girls Don’t Cry

(10 years later)

"Marsh! Lunchtime!"

I sighed to myself and set down the cinderblock I was struggling to carry. I could already feel the sweat from today's work drip down my temple. My hands were covered in callouses from lifting cement and metal all day long. I grimaced at the sight of them and turned to Nate who motioned me over to the table with sandwiches on it. 

Ugh. Sandwiches again. Guess it's better than nothing. 

I sat down next to Nate as the others joined us. Russell sat on the other side of me and Becca sat across from us. Shel was on watch while we ate and would call us if there was any problems. All of us make a pretty good team and we watch out for each other. I first met them around 3 years ago and found out that they knew some people who worked for Carver, Vince and Wyatt. At first, I didn't want to go with them but I had nowhere else to go and no plan. It took awhile but, I grew fond of our little group and the RV we travel around in.

"Hey, Clementine. Where you at right now?"

I snap out of my thoughts and swat away Russell's hand that was waving in front of me. I send him a harsh glare before returning to my sandwich. Becca laughed at my actions and finished her sandwich with a loud burp. Nate lightly applauded her and gave out a burp of his own. I lose my appetite and shove the rest of my sandwich to Russell and go back to work on the temporary wall we were building for our stay. We travel around in our RV and stop to gather gas for the next trip and then the cycle starts over again. 

I grow tired of moving around and not settling down but, I have to keep moving. Just in case Lee is still out there and waiting for me. That thought is what gives me motivation to get up every morning and survive another day. The block I'm holding is a starting to break the skin on my palms but, I place it on the others anyways. We're going to be staying for a week or something because we'll need to gather a lot of gasoline for the trip on the interstate. 

     So far we have been to Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee. I've looked far and wide for Lee but, I haven't found one clue on where he would be. Right now, we are on our way back to Georgia to see if Lee has been back and left me a sign or something. The group has been amazing helping me look for him and I was surprised they wanted to help. But, they assured me that they didn't have anything else to do. A smile works it's way onto my face at thought and I finish up the wall I'd been working all week on. 

     "Wow. Good job, Clementine. Now, we can go and look for some gas. Think you could keep things under control as we go out and look?"

     I nod my head at Nate and the others start getting ready for the gas run. I climb on top of the RV and start my watch as they leave me with my thoughts. My eyes run across the small park for any sign of walkers or other scavengers, my gun tucked in tightly beside me. The place is empty and quiet, too quiet. I furrow my eyebrows at the silence and stay alert. However, as time passes, my guard is slowly let down and sun is starting to set. I finally relax and close my eyes slightly. 

     "Clem! Help me!"

     My eyes snap open to get rid of the pictures that started running through my mind. It was AJ and he was calling out to me as a herd of walkers bit his shoulder and tore him apart. I had tried to save him but, it was too late for him. He wasn't supposed to die, we were going to look for Lee together and live happily ever after. I was only 12 when I watched him get torn apart and it still haunts me. As the bad memories of AJ leave me, others soon replace it. My throat starts closing as I feel myself choking down sobs that threaten to rake my body. 

     No. Please, no. Go away! 

     My eyes dart around as I am surrounded by familiar faces and they are not happy. I try turning away from them but, they still stay within my vision. My hands desperately try to swat away the ghosts but, they don't move. I'm left facing them and tears are welling up in my eyes as I look at each of them. 

     Christa, Omid, AJ, Luke, Nick, Alvin, Rebecca, Sarah, Jane, Beth, Sarita, and Bonnie all surrounded me. They were dead and had blood pouring out of their wounds that had killed them. I started apologizing to them and looking frantically around for a way out. All their voices spoke at once and it sent a tremor through my body. 

     "Why did you kill us, Clementine? You could have saved us? WHY, CLEMENTINE?!"

     They all walked closer to me and as they reached down for me, I awoke with a gasp. My eyes were looking around for any sign of them but, I was still alone. I wiped my face with my hands and took in a shuddering breath. There were wet tears on my face that I wiped away with the sleeve of my shirt. The sun was completely down and the guys still weren't back yet. I slapped my cheek lightly to wake myself up and look for any walkers. The park was still deserted and there wasn't a soul in sight. 

     Then, why do I feel like someone is watching me?

     The thought was left lingering in my head but, disappeared as I seen the others approaching the RV. 

     

 

     Had Clementine looked closer in the wood line, she would've seen the pair of yellow eyes that were watching her every move.


	3. My Way

The interstate was fucking loaded with walkers. We had to get out of the RV multiple times and clear out the bottom of the RV of run over walkers. Nate was currently driving and singing a song that I hadn't heard in years. 

"Don't stop believing! Hold on to that feeling!"

The way he was so into the song was hilarious and my ribs started to hurt from how hard I was laughing. Becca and Shel were doing backup for him and Russell just shook his head and watched where Nate was driving. Nate continued to sing and drive all day and he started singing a song that everyone on the RV knew. 

"Mama just killed man. Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he's dead."

"MAMA! OhhhOooohHh! Didn't mean to make you cry!"

Russell and Nate were now doing a duet and singing horribly off key. Shel and Becca just stared at them before joining in. 

"MAMA! OHHHhhhhh! I don't want to die."

They all turned to me for me to crush it and I couldn't let them down. 

"Nothing really matters, anyone can see. Nothing really matters."

I was belting out the lyrics and finishing the song with pride and a huge smile on my face. We were all so caught up in our singing, we didn't see a set of spikes strung across the road. The RV spun out of control and Nate was swearing up and down as we were all slung around in the back. We eventually came to a stop and all exited the RV to see the damage. Three of our tires were popped and the rims were slightly bent. Nate leaned down to inspect the damage further and took off his cap and ran his hand through his greasy hair. 

"Well, it's a good thing me and Russell picked up them spares from the last run. Clementine, will you get the jack from inside and bring it out? Shel and Becca, you guys keep watch and kill anything that gets close. Russell, help me out with these."

We all split up to do our assigned jobs and I stepped onto the RV and looked around for the jack. Nate said we shouldn't place it on the outside incase someone decides to steal our parts. I looked above the sink and found it nestled away in a corner. My hand yanked it out and I stepped back outside and gave it to Nate. 

"Thanks, Clem. Will you go help keep watch with Shel and Becca?"

I nodded my head and went to join the other girls. Nate and Russell had us ready to go within minutes and hollered for us to come on. Russell was already in the RV and putting away the jack while Nate was throwing the useless tires off of the road. We all went to get on the RV and Nate was about to join us when he seen something under the RV. 

"Nate, come on! Let's go!"

"Hold on! I see something under the RV, I think it's a baseball bat!"

"Leave it. Now, come on!"

Nate didn't listen to Russell's shouts and continued to reach under the RV before pulling out a wooden baseball bat. Nate showed Russell the bat with a smirk and went to step into the RV when something pulled his ankle. He was yanked down and we all jumped out just in time to see a walker chomp on Nate's leg. 

"AH! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

I put a bullet in the walker and pulled Nate onto the bus and told Russell to floor it, seeing other walkers starting to gather from the gunshot. I helped Nate sit up and Shel examined the bite with shaky hands. I cursed Nate for his stupidity and looked at him with a solemn expression on my face. 

"Nate, you know what has to happen."

"Yeah, I know. Just let me ride with you guys until we hit the Georgia state line."

I nodded my head in agreement, seeing as we were only a couple miles away from it. No one said a word and everything was quiet until Nate broke the silence. 

"I've lived a life that's full. I've traveled each and every highway. But more, much more than this. I did it my way."

I looked down with tears in my eyes and heard Russell join him. 

"Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew. When I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt. I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall. And did it my way."

Nate smiled kindly at Russell and we had made it to the state line. The RV came to a stop and Russell helped Nate off and handed him his bat and gun. Nate took the bat but, left the gun with Becca. He winked at me and started softly singing the last of the song as he walked off. 

"Yes, it was my way."

The drive into Georgie was silent and we stopped for the night inside an impound lot and cleared it out. It was gated so, we closed ourselves in and went to bed that night without eating. I heard Russell get up numerous times during the night and go outside to cry. I shifted around on my pallet to get comfortable and try to get some rest. The last thought in my mind before I fell asleep was Lee. 

Please be alive, Lee. Please.


	4. Who Exactly Is Lee?

"Clementine, which way do I turn?"

"Make a hard right at the next stop sign."

Shel took the turn a little too hard and I could hear Russell cursing us both as he was flung out of his seat. Becca was smartly strapped in and looked smugly at Russell. He rolled his eyes at her and sat back in his seat for a moment before buckling up. They acted like they were just kinda friends and all but, I caught them making out in the woods like two days ago. So, they can't fool me with their gross love/hate flirting. 

     "Hey, Clemtim. How close are we to this hotel you talked about?"

     I let out a frustrated groan as Becca called me by an absurd nickname and shot her a glare. 

     "About 25 more miles, Becca. And don't call me that."

     "Whatever you say, Clemtim."

     I promptly flipped her the bird before turning back towards the town we were going through. Darien was a old town near Savannah and didn't have much to look at. There were hardly any walkers in small towns because there was no food for them there. I found the scene to be relaxing and it almost felt like the dead wasn't roaming the earth. 

     We had been driving for nearly a week now and getting closer and closer to Savannah. I was getting restless and wanting to get there already and look for Lee. Shel must've noticed my sudden fidgeting because she sent a smile towards me. 

     "So, Clem. Who exactly was this Lee guy to you? You talked a little bit about him but, not very much."

     I smiled a little at the thought of Lee and finding him before beginning to tell the others more about Lee. 

     "Well, he's the one that saved me from being left alone and probably getting eaten when I was eight. He had just come from a car accident and wandered into my yard. Lee took me along with him and we traveled around with people, trying to find a safe place. We met a family that I really liked and became really close to them. We started up a community at a motel in Macon, Georgia. It went good until hunters tried killing us and then we went with these other people to their dairy farm. We all thought it was a great place until...."

     I shuddered at the thought of what almost happened that night and took a deep breath in. 

     "Our friend Mark was shot by a hunter and the owner of the farm said she'd take care of him. We thought she did and we all sat down to eat dinner. I had the meat so close to my mouth and then Lee came bursting into the room, screaming at me not to eat it. Our friend Mark crawled into the dining room with his legs chopped off. They cut up Mark and was going to feed him to us. Almost everyone else ate the meat but, not me because Lee stopped me."

     "Jesus fucking Christ! They ate people like the walkers?!" What the fuck?!"

     I smiled faintly at Russell's outburst and continued my story of Lee. 

     "After that we left and came across this car that was loaded with food and supplies. It was obvious that it was someone's stuff and they were coming back but, the others just took it. Me and Lee didn't take part in it and went a little hungry that night and the next day. Next, we traveled some more and my friend Duck was bit just as we had found a working train. Kenny, his dad, didn't listen and wanted to keep him longer. We made it ten miles in the train when it was time for Duck to go and his mom took him into the woods with a gun. We all heard the shot but, no one came back. Kenny and Lee went to look for Katjaa, his wife and Ducks mom, only to find her with a bullet in her head and Duck still barely alive."

"Oh my god, Clem. That's awful."

I nodded my head in agreement and went on as Shel kept driving. 

"Lee was the one to put Duck down and that day he taught me how to shoot a gun and to keep my hair short. We make it to Savannah and run into some new friends, Vernon and Molly. Kenny wanted to find a boat and get out of there and on the water, thinking it would be better. We found a boat but, needed a battery and gas. Molly snuck us all in a very bad community and we got the gas and battery. The whole time this was happening, I was talking to a man on a walkie talkie that said he knew where my parents were and would help me."

"Oh, Clementine. You didn't."

I nodded my head that I indeed did and continued my story. 

"Yeah, I went with the man to the hotel where we are going. Turns out he was the man who owned the vehicle and supplies the others stole from after the dairy farm. He had a wife and kid that died because they took their food. He held me captive and Lee had to come and save me. Lee was covered in walker guts and looking rough and pissed. I struck the guy in the should with a meat cleaver and Lee tackled him to the floor. I put a bullet in his head and we left the hotel, both covered in walker guts and walking right by them. But, as we were walking, I seen my dead parents as walkers and made a sound at the sight."

     Shel had pulled over the RV and they were all huddle up beside me as I was about to finish up the story.

"Lee kept me quiet and we went to this convenient store to take a break. But, I wasn't watching and the walkers got in and we were back outside and trying to get away from them. A walker was headed straight for us so, we had to break apart and we got separated. I tried running for Lee but, a walker grabbed me and out cover was blown. Lee lead the walkers off and told me to run. I did and that was the last time I saw him, it's been 10 years. But, I know he's alive because I can feel it."

After I finished up, I looked at their faces and seen different expressions. Becca was awestruck, Russell held a surprised face, and Shel was almost in tears. It was quiet for a moment until Shel sniffled a bit and gave me a smile before slamming on the gas and speeding off. 

"Let's go fucking find Lee!"


	5. We Meet Again

"Holy shit."

"You said it."

I was in awe of how awful Savannah Hey looks. It was pretty bad ten years ago but, now it's just awful. Buildings were burnt to the ground, houses destroyed and had spray paint covering the walls, and walkers scattered out across town. 

     I told Shel to pull over and we'll go on by foot since there was so much trash and broke down cars. Walkers started to gather around us and I was not having that shit. My knife took care of most of them and Russell whacked away the remaining ones. 

     "Nice. Let's go down this street, it'll lead us to the hotel and we'll go from there."

     I lead the others through the streets and we moved stealthy along the backstreets to avoid as much contact as possible with walkers. The hotel was only a couple blocks from us and I could see it ahead of us. However, there was a group of walkers by the entrance and cursed at the sight. 

"Shit. We need to find another way in and fast because some of the others have noticed us." 

I looked around frantically for another entrance and see that another building is very close to the hotel. A sly smile grew on my face as I faced the other three. Russell immediately caught on and started shaking his head and throwing up his hands. 

"No. Fuck. No. There is no way in hell we are doing that. You're fucking crazy and out of your damn mind. Nope."

Not even five minutes later we were all standing on top of a roof and looking across at the roof of the hotel. Russell was looking pissed, Shel was looking at the slight gap between the buildings with a worried look, and Becca was stretching. I cocked my head Becca and gave her a funny look. 

"Becca, what the fuck are you doing?"

She paused her stretching and through me a cunning smile. 

"I'm about to fucking clear these buildings."

And before I could even say something, Becca was sprinting across the gravel and looking dead set on the hotel roof. I knew I couldn't stop her so, I just watched as Shel and Russell ran after her. 

"BABE, YOU CAN'T JUMP! STOP!"

There was no doubt in my mind that Becca could clear the two buildings but, a rock tripped her up as soon as she started her jump. It was like slow motion as we watched Becca trip and fall between the buildings. 

"BECCA! NO!!"

None of us could look over the edge and just started crying because she was gone. Russell turned away from the ledge and fell to his knees as he started sobbing. Shel held Russell and I kept my distance before shedding a couple tears myself. I didn't know Becca that well but, she was a friend. And these days, they are the hardest things to come by. 

"Are you guys coming or what?"

Our heads shot towards the ledge of the roof and we sprinted towards it before looking down. Becca was standing in a window and waving at us. I laughed at her action and looked at Russell as he was desperately trying to cover up his tears. We were all so focused on Becca, we didn't see another person on the roof of the hotel. But, we did jump at the loud clang that came from a ladder being dropped on the roof and looked at the person standing across from us. 

     Huh. She looks really familiar. Blonde hair and blue eyes....HOLD UP

     "Molly?"

     She looks skeptical at me and waves us over. We climb across it and Russell rushes down the stairs to find Becca. I look back at Molly and ask her once more. 

     "Molly, do you remember me?"

     "Er, no. Should I?"

     I laugh at her response and sling my bag around to shuffle through it before pulling out my old ball cap. I placed it on my head and give Molly an innocent smile. 

     "Holy shit, you're that kid! You're Clementine!"

     "Nice to see you too, Molly. And thanks for saving our friend, Becca. How's you do that?"

     Molly smirked at us and held up some rope. 

     "Well, you guys were making enough noise to stir up the dead so I decided to check it out. And then I seen Jane there start running across the street so I swung over and shoved her in the window."

     Shel was so overwhelmed and tackled Molly in a hug. I seen Molly stiffen at the contact but, loosened up before breaking the hug. She awkwardly patted Shel's head before turning back to me with a cocked eyebrow. 

"Hey kid. Are you looking for someone? Because I have a friend of yours that has been looking for you."

I disregard the kid comment and focus on the other part. 

Lee. It's got to be Lee!

I'm almost jumping up and down at the thought and Molly calms me down. 

"Hold up, Clementine. We can't go right now because the sun is starting to set and I don't like traveling at night anymore. Come on, we can stay at my place and I'll take you tomorrow."

I groan at the thought of waiting another day but, Molly is right. We follow her into her room at the hotel and find Becca and Russell making out. 

"HEY! Not on my damn couch! I sleep there!"

Molly let's us have separate rooms that she has cleared out and I bed down on my slightly stiff mattress and sit my hat beside me on a little nightstand. I get restless and can't get to sleep so, I go to my little window that points towards a little wood line. My eyes lids are starting to droop and they're becoming heavier when I see something out of the corner of my eye. A pair of gold yellow eyes glow and I squint my eyes and make out a body of some animal. The eyes are watching my every move and I feel pinned under its stare. It looks huge, like a wolf maybe, and it finally walks away as I walk away from the window. Sleep comes quick this time around and the yellow eyes haunt my dreams.


	6. Faint

     "Are we there yet? I gotta peeeeeeee."

     "You should've went when WE STOPPED 5 MINUETS AGO!"

     "But, I didn't have to go then."

     "I'm going to fucking murder you."

     We'd been riding in the RV while Molly drove us to Macon, where she supposedly had a community. She still wouldn't tell me who was there and I couldn't stand it. Just like Molly couldn't stand Russell's whining. It's not a long trip but, Russell's bitchin has made it awful. The vehicle got quiet and I thought he finally gave up when he let out a long and annoying sound. Molly slammed on the brakes and pulled the RV over. 

     "THAT'S IT!"

     Molly literally bolted up from the drivers seat and tackled Russell out of his own seat. 

     "NO! WAIT, I'LL STOP. BECCA, HELP!"

     Becca turned her head away to hide her laughter as Molly grabbed some rope and duct tape. Russell was tied down with rope and had a piece of tape over his mouth. Molly seemed satisfied with her work and went back to sit behind the steering and we were off once more. Shel, who was in the passenger seat, looked at Molly with disbelief written on her face before a smile covered it up. 

     "I think I love you."

     I couldn't take it anymore and started laughing until tears were streaming down my face. The others joined in and Russell watched us with a mean glare directed at us. 

     The rest of the ride was filled with stories as Molly told us about her adventures and what she's been up to for the last 10 years. I always loved listening to others tell stories about themselves and what they've been thought, it helps me understand them more. I must've spaced off because we had pulled into a very familiar looking motel but, it was looking a lot more secure since the last time I seen it. Car hoods were welded together and wrapped around the motel like a steel wall. There was also fencing in front of the wall that and it's almost looks like it's sparking. 

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home."

Molly pulls the RV inside the compound as a large portion of the wall is moved to the side, leaving a massive entrance. The parking lot of the motel has been cleared and there are a couple of tents set up. Molly parks the RV to the side, releases Russell from the binding, and smiles at me. 

"You ready for this?"

"More than ever."

Molly exits the RV with us in tow and calls out. 

"HEY! ANYONE HOME?"

"QUIT YOUR GODDAMN SHOUTIN!"

Molly looks back at us with a smile as a voice answers her and we hear a door open and close. I whip around at the sound and nearly cry as I see who it is. 

"KENNY!"

"WHO IS STILL SHOU- Clementine? HOLY SHIT!"

I sprint towards Kenny and tackle him in a hug. He laughs and returns the hug with enthusiasm. I pull away as others come out to see what the commotion is and I'm dumbfounded. 

"Holy shit. You're alive?"

     Lilly crosses her arms in front of her and cocks an eyebrow at me. 

     "Do I know you?"

     Kenny laughs from beside and ruffles my short hair. 

     "You do look different without your hat, Clem." 

     Panic shoots through me as I realize I left my hat at the hotel in Savannah. Lilly must recognize me because she, surprisingly, rushes towards me for a hug. 

"Oh my god. Clementine, YOU'RE ALIVE!"

I laugh and squeeze Lilly tighter and she pulls back to look at me. 

"Wow, you grew up. Lee is going to flip shit when he sees you."

My heart stops beating as I hear Lilly say Lee's name. 

"He's alive? Lee's ALIVE?!"

"He sure is and he's been looking for you."

I quickly look around to see if he's come out but, don't see him. I only see a woman and man looking at me with a strange expression on their face. Kenny sees me searching for Lee and quickly reassures me. 

"He's on his weekly run. Lee has been doing these runs ever since you and him got separated. Boy, he is going to be pissed when he realizes he didn't find you first. He'll be back before dinner so, don't worry. Now, let's get you and your friends settled in."

Kenny and the others took us in with open arms. They fed us, watered us, and gave us each a room. They also had told us there is a running water but, it wasn't very warm. I didn't even care because a shower is a shower and I was grateful for anything. After my shower, I decided to take a quick nap and be rested up when I finally seen Lee. My heart sped up when I realized that I was actually going to see Lee. After 10 long years, I was meeting Lee again. 

     Please, don't let this be a dream. 

     "Hey, Clem. Wake up! Lee should be back any minute now and I wanna mess with him."

     Kenny woke me up and started tugging me out of my room. I rubbed my eyes to wipe away the sleep and grew ecstatic. Kenny told me to go hide behind our RV and to jump out when he says my name. I got into Place and the others would greet Lee normally and introduce themselves. The sound of the entrance being opened made my heart start racing and I could feel myself become jittery. Becca, Russell, Shel introduced themselves to Lee and his voice was just like I remembered. I peeked around the corner to catch a glimpse of Lee and my jaw dropped. 

     Why is Lee kissing Lilly?!?!

     Lee and Lilly broke apart and Kenny comes up behind Lee and slaps his shoulder. 

     "Any luck with your search?"

     I seen Lee become sad and his voice dropped. 

     "No. But, I know she's out there and I'm going to find her."

     Kenny lightly smirks before covering it up by scratching his beard. 

     "Well, I sure do miss Clementine!"

     That's my cue. 

     I stepped out from my hiding spot as Lee was about to respond to Kenny's comment and he stops upon seeing me. I walk closer to him and stop within a couple feet of him and his eyes widen. 

     "Hi, Lee."

     Thump!

     Lee collapsed to the ground and Kenny laughs as Lilly kneels to check on him. 

     "Fuck I knew he'd be surprised but, I didn't expect the old bastard to faint!"


	7. Shadows

     Lee was out for a couple of hours and Kenny thought the situation was hilarious. Lilly helped me get him to their room (yeah, they share a room) and we left him there to sleep. We ate supper and I finally asked Lilly about her and Lee. 

     "Well, when I stole the RV and drove away, I felt awful. I know I had just killed Carley but, I thought I was helping the group by killing a thief. I went back to you guys but, you were gone and so was the train. I spent days looking for you guys and went into Savannah to see if you guys were there. I found Kenny trapped in by walkers and, after a considerable amount of apologizing and him punching me, we went to look for you and Lee. We drove around for any sign of you guys but, couldn't find anything. A week went by and Kenny and I decided to look in a rundown hotel, in case you guys were trapped or something. Inside the hotel we found Molly and Lee. Lee had been dehydrated and starting to become malnourished. He didn't eat or drink because he couldn't find you, Clementine."

     I felt sick to my stomach listening to what happened after I went with Christa and Omid. Lilly noticed my nauseated look and rubbed my back. I have to say, Lilly has become a lot better with contact and it actually felt comforting. I took a deep breath in and motioned for Lilly to continue. The others had already went to bed and that left me and Lilly sitting around a fire. 

     "Me and Kenny had to force food down Lee and Molly helped us get fluid in him. He became better after a couple of days and more so when I suggested that we go look for you. Clementine, we looked all over Savannah for you and came back here to see if you were here. We couldn't find you and Lee assumed you went with Christa and Omid like he told you to. We set up a better perimeter around this place and stayed, in case you came back.  But, that didn't stop him from going on runs and searching for clues on where you might be. Overtime, I learned that Ben had been the one who was giving supplies to the hunters and I went into a depression. So, one night, I walked outside with my gun and sat on top of the RV. I pressed the gun to my head to end it when a hand stopped me."

     "I couldn't let you die when you had helped me. Especially when you helped me look for Clementine."

I jumped at the sound of a voice behind me and whipped around to face Lee. 

"Lee."

"Clementine."

I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest. I feel his body shaking and pull back to see him fighting back sobs. 

"I thought I lost you, sweet pea."

     Tears start welling up in my eyes and my throat becomes constricted as I hug him tighter. I've waited 10 years for this goddamn hug and it's everything I hoped it would be. We stay like that until Lilly clears her throat. I look back up to Lee and find him almost passed out. I realize he must be exhausted and give him one final squeeze before handing him to Lilly. 

"We'll catch up tomorrow, okay?"

Lee nods and I turn to go to my room when a hand catches my wrist. I pulled back into another hug and feel Lee kiss my forehead. 

"I've missed you so much, Clementine. I'm so glad you're here and alive."

     "Me too. Now get your old ass to bed before Lilly drags you."

     Lee looks at me in shock of my cursing and I retreat to my room before he can scold me about it. I close my door and slide down against it, not believing that today actually happened. I smile like an idiot to myself and let out a slight laugh at how happy I am. My happiness is paused for a moment as I hear leaves rustle outside my window. It's partly boarded up but, I can still see and fit my body through it. I raise my gun and cautiously move towards the window, wondering if it was an animal or a walker. I raise the frame up and stick my head out slightly, not seeing anyone or anything. 

     "I could've sworn I heard something out here." 

     I go to put my head back in the room when I hear a twig snap. I nearly get whiplash from how fast my head spun back to the woods and almost scream from what I'm staring at. Two yellow eyes are peering at me and I once again freeze under their gaze. The beast steps out from the trees and into the moonlight, its long legs holding its huge body sturdily. It's twice the size of me and its fur is pitch black with brown patches scattered on its body. It's snout is long and I can see the gleam of its teeth from the light of the moon and also see its carrying something. My eyes widen as it comes closer to me and I'm still frozen in shock at what I'm seeing. The wolf looks almost annoyed at my shocked state and it's blows air through its nostrils at me. 

     "Pffft! You ass! Why did you do that?"

     I don't get a response, only a slight tilt of a head and ears perking up. The wolf moves closer to me and comes within inches of my face before dropping what it had in its mouth. I look to see what it dropped and see my dirty old ball cap. I grow excited and reach down for it and snatch it up before looking back at the wolf, only to find it gone. The only evidence of it being there was huge paw prints that looked to be twice the size of my hands. I squint my eyes to try and look for it but, find nothing besides the shadows of trees from the moonlight.


	8. Bonding

"And when they didn't let me out of the shed, I snuck out and went inside their house without them knowing. I gathered supplies to patch myself up and snuck back out and back into the shed. I then stitched myself up and that's when they found me."

Lee laughed at my story and slapped my back. I had been telling Lee of all my funny stories all morning and he had told me his. It felt so good to talk to him and just be with him. Even though we had been talking all morning, I still hadn't asked him about Lilly. I leaned back in my seat and gave Lee a sly smile. 

"So, you and Lilly huh?"

Lee blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck before letting out a slight laugh. 

"Yeah, it's a long story."

I crossed one leg over the other and grabbed my water bottle before leaning back in my seat. 

"I don't have anywhere else to be, Lee."

"Alrighty then. Well, she already told you about her saving me and then helping me look for you. Lilly was there for me when I cried from not finding you but, she slapped me when I said you were probably dead. I had began to see that she was damaged more than I was and it started eating away at her. After we moved here and secured it, Lilly started eating less and not coming out of her room. I had found out from Kenny that she knew the truth about the whole Ben and Carley thing. I forgave her a long time ago but, she didn't forgive herself. If I hadn't been on watch that night, I'm afraid she wouldn't be here today. After that night, we grew closer and closer." 

     I shuffled closer to Lee as he began to smile to himself. 

     "I had asked Molly what I should do about my feelings towards Lilly and she me to quit being a pussy. It had been so long since I honestly loved someone like that and I didn't know what to do. After hearing Molly's advice I sought out Lilly and found her helping Kenny put up the fence around the motel. I marched straight up to Lilly and kissed her. Man, you should've seen Kenny's face when I did that."

     I smiled widely at hearing Lee's confession and hugged him. 

     "I'm so happy that you found someone. You being happy makes me happy."

     Lee ruffles my hair as we break our hug and smiles at me. 

     "I hate to ask this but, have you had any luck with the love game?"

     "Oh yeah. Almost every guy I run into has my heart."

     "WHAT?!"

     I burst out laughing at Lee's shout and shove him. 

     "I'm just kidding, you old man. Geeze, I'm not a two dollar whore."

     "Language."

     I huff at his scolding tone and cross my arms like a child. Kenny comes up behind Lee and claps his hand on Lee's shoulder. 

     "So, Clementine. I see you found your hat, where was it?"

     I furrow my eyebrows as I remember my encounter from last night and take off my hat. It lays lightly in my hands and I run my fingers over the stitching. 

     "Are there any wolves in Georgia?"

     Kenny gives me a slight laugh and gestures around him. 

     "Darlin', there's barely any living people in Georgia. I don't think you'll have to worry about any wolves attacking you."

     I nod my head at Kenny's answer and stand from my seat before placing my hat back on. 

     "Well, I think I'll check out the rest of this place. It's been a long time since I've been here and want to see what's changed."

     "Alright, but be careful and watch for walkers."

     I roll my eyes at Lee's protective behavior but, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it. I wave my hand behind me and walk to the outside of my window. There's snapped twigs and a bundle of leaves together just a few feet to the side of it. It looks almost like a bed and I kneel down to inspect it closer. 

     "WHATCHA LOOKIN AT?"

     "MOTHERFUCKER! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

     Becca shrugs her shoulders and looks down at the pile of leaves I was looking at and then looks behind me. 

     "Holy shit! Look at the size of those tracks!"

     I watch Becca rush past me and kneel before the track and places her hand near the paw print. Her hand is nothing in comparison to it and Becca stands beside me. 

     "Man, can you imagine how big that fucker must be? And it looks like it's been stalking you since it was right outside your window."

     I nod my head at Becca and look once more at the tracks that lead back into the woods. 

     "So, what did you need from me?"

     "Oh, Lilly wanted me to come and get you. Something about you and her going on a run today."

     Becca barely finishes her sentence before I'm rushing off to find Lilly. I'd been feeling quite cooped up and needing to get out of these walls. I found Lilly standing beside her truck and loading her bag into the back of it. 

     "Are we really going on a run?"

     Lilly turns to me and shoots me a slight smirk. 

     "Yeah, figured you would wanna get out and look for supplies with me. You up for it?"

     "Fuck yes. Let's go!"

     Lilly chuckles at my response and Lee approaches us with his arms crossed. His eyes set on me first and I know I'm getting ready to get a talk. 

     "Clementine, promise me you'll come back?"

     I'm surprised at his questions and nod my head frantically at him. Lee nods his head back and looks to Lilly. 

     "And you come back with her, alright?" 

     Lilly rolls her eyes at him but, gives him a peck on the cheek. 

     "We'll be back before dinner. Love you."

     "Love you both."

     And after that, we're off and rolling out of the motel.


	9. Speed Bump

     "Come on, Lilly. Just let me drive for a little bit!"

     "No way in hell. This is my baby and I don't know if you can drive or not!"

     I huff in agitation at Lilly and turn to look out the window. We had just finished doing a sweep of a nearby grocery store and found some good stuff. We found canned peaches, beans, couple of full water bottles, some gauze, and we even found a couple of cans of Spam. It was a successful run in my book and felt giddy about it. I had been trying to convince Lilly to let me drive but, she wasn't having it. 

     "Okay, I just want to drive for a couple miles. PLEASE!"

     "Nope."

     I squinted my eyes at Lilly, who kept her eyes on the slightly dark road. The sun was beginning to set and we would reach the motel in about 10 minuets. I folded my arms across my chest and brought out the big guns. 

     "Lilly, if you don't let me drive then I'll tell Lee that I seen you get condoms."

     Skerrrrrt

     "FINE! You can drive us back to the motel! God!"

     I let out a whoop of victory but, quickly quieted from Lilly's glare. We switched seats and I seen Lilly put on her seatbelt. 

     "Really?"

     "I'm not getting thrown from the truck because you can't drive."

     "Whatever."

     I put the truck into drive and we were off. Driving was pretty easy and I had done it before but, didn't tell Lilly that. It was now pitch black outside and was losing visibility in front of the truck. I took my eyes off the road and started fiddling with the switches behind the steering wheel. The windshield wipers started swiping and then the interior light came on. 

     "Clementine, what are you doing?"

     "Looking for the damn headlight switch."

     "It's the knob on the dashboard beside you."

     I looked for it and seen it right where Lilly said it was and they flipped on. 

     "CLEMENTINE, WATCH OUT!"

     "AHHHH!"

     Skeeert! Bump!

     My eyes were wide as I looked behind us, trying to figure out what the hell I just hit. Lilly unbuckled her seatbelt and we both grabbed our weapons before exiting the truck. Lilly had a brush guard on her truck so, there was no damage done to the truck. But, there was some blood and grimaced at the sight. 

     "Fuck! What did I hit?"

     "I don't know but, it looked really big."

     I started walking back behind the truck and fished out my small flashlight. There was small blotches of blood on the road and I finally came across what I had hit. 

     "Oh fuck! Lilly, help me with it!"

     "With wha- CLEMENTINE, GET AWAY FROM THAT WILD ANIMAL!"

     I ignored Lilly's unnecessary loud shouting and crouched beside the wolf. It was the one that I kept seeing and the one that brought me my hat. It's yellow eyes were half lidded and it was letting out small whimpers. It's back paw was curled slightly and was bleeding heavily. 

     "Lilly, please help me with it. It's not a mean wolf and it's been following me for a while now."

     I heard Lilly let out a silent curse and then heard her drop the tailgate. She came over and crouched beside me, looking at the damage I done to the wolf. 

     "Boy, you did a number on him. Alright, let's get him in the back of the truck and fast, I think I hear some walkers coming."

     "How do you know it's a male?"

     Lilly gave me a "are you stupid or something" look and pointed at the wolf. 

     "Oh. Gotcha. Okay, let's lift on three."

     I placed my arms underneath his upper body while Lilly got the bottom half. We counted to three and lifted him into the bed of the truck. He was a heavy son of a bitch and I felt like I popped something in my back as we both hoisted him into the truck. 

     "Okay, do you know how I have a window in my room?"

     "Yes? What does that have to do with anything right now?"

     "I need you to drive around and we'll sneak him through there. I'll keep him in my room until he gets better and then I'll let him go. The others would flip shit if they knew we brought a big ass wolf back, especially Lee."

     Lilly groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. 

     "This animal really means that much to you?"

     "Yeah he does. Please, Lilly?"

     "Ugh fine. But, if Lee finds out you're taking the fall for this."

     I smiled real big and hugged Lilly tight. 

     "Okay, okay. Let's go before they send out a search party."

     I decided to ride in the back with wolf and keep an eye on him. We made it to the motel in a few minutes and Lilly pulled around the back and helped me pry off the boards that were covering my window. After that, I went through the window and helped Lilly pull the wolf through it. He helped a little and hoped up and onto my spare bed before curling up into a ball. Lilly boarded my window back up and I talked to her through it. 

     "Okay, tell the others I was having bad cramps or something. I'm going to clean his wound and dress it. And could you bring me whatever we're having for dinner?"

     "Ugh. Fine. But, don't let your guard down too much with that wolf. He may seem friendly but, he is still wild."

     "Thank you so much, Lilly. And I won't."

     With that being said, Lilly got back into her truck and pulled around to the front of the motel. I went to my door and locked it before turning back to my new roommate. I dug through my backpack and pulled out a roll of bandages and some alcohol. The wolf had raised its head upon hearing me approach him and was staring intently at me. 

     "It's okay, boy. I'm just going to clean and dress your leg."

     He seemed to understand and laid its head back down but, still watched me closely. I had his leg patched up in no time and when I finished there was a knock at my door. I answered it and seen Lilly holding a plate full a food and another one that held, what looked like, scraps. 

     "I figured your wolf would be hungry. It's not much but, it's something."

     "It's perfect. Thank you, Lilly."

     She handed me the plates and nodded to me before leaving. I closed the door with my hip and set down one plate to lock it. I picked the plate back up and went over to give the wolf his plate but, found him to be sleeping. I didn't wake him, instead I set his plate down on the floor and quickly ate my food before bedding down as well. I was a lot more tired than I had thought because my eyes started closing as soon as my head hit the pillow. I looked one more time at the wolf before closing my eyes. 

     "Goodnight."


	10. Tame

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the smell of wet dog. The next thing I noticed was puffs of hot air being blown in my face. My face scrunched up as I began to wake up and my eyes cracked open to see what had woken me up. The sight that greeted me almost sent me flailing out of bed. 

The wolf was standing right in front of my face and peering at me with an almost pleading expression. I reared my head away from his cold wet nose and sat up. The wolf sat down and started whining at me while pawing my legs. I looked at my wrist watch laying on the nightstand and seen that it was almost 8 in the morning. 

     "Ugh, why did you wake me up?"

     The wolf then stood up and went over to the window and whined once more. It was like a light bulb went off above my head as I realized what he wanted. 

     "You need to go outside?"

     A whine was my answer and I got up and opened the window. Lilly hasn't boarded the window up all the way and left some space for the wolf to get out. The window slid open with ease and the wolf slipped out as I turned away to go to the bathroom myself in my own bathroom. I finished up and I heard the wolf shake around and then a kind of squishing sound. 

     That better not be what I fucking think it is.

     I exited the bathroom and my fears were confirmed. Apparently, it had rained the night before and was extremely muddy outside because the wolf was tracking mud in all throughout my room. After I thought that I couldn't get worse, the wolf then jumped onto my spare bed and smeared mud all over it. 

     "GET DOWN!"

     The wolf's head snapped towards me at the sound of my shout and just stared. I stepped closer to him and he bowed down with his big tail wagging behind him. I shook my head at him and pointed to the floor. 

     "Down. Now. No, we're not playing."

     He seemed to understand because he jumped off of the bed and sat down looking at me. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair when I realized I would have to give him a bath. I waved my hand for him to follow me and we walked into the bathroom together. I was skeptical about how he would react with taking a bath but, he seemed almost exited to see the shower. I shrugged it off and turned on the water before grabbing some soap and a towel. I didn't even have to tell him to get in the bath because he jumped right in and under the water. 

     Man, this wolf is fucking weirding me out. 

     The bath turned out to be the easiest part because once we were done, he jumped out and ran away from the towel I was holding. I finally tackled the massive animal and towel dried him off. However, I didn't get but two swipes in when he pulled away and give me a mischievous. I realized too late what the look was for and could only hold up the towel and the wolf shook off the water left on him. The towel didn't do shit because I was still soaking wet after he finished shaking. I was about to curse him out but, was cut off by the sound of knocking at my door. 

     "Quick! Get in the bathroom!"

     The wolf cocked its head at me before doing as he was told, which really freaked me out. Another knock at my door snapped me out of it and I bolted to it. I opened it slightly and seen Lee standing there with a concerned look on his face. 

     "Um hey, Clem. Lilly told me about your problem and I just wanted to ask if you needed anything specific on a run me and Kenny are about to go on."

     "Oh. Well, no. I think I'm good actually. Thanks for asking though."

     Lee nodded his head at my answer and turned to walk away. 

     "Okay, me and Kenny will be gone for about a day, maybe two. We're going to the state line and look through the stores there."

     "Okay, be careful!"

     "Always am!"

     I closed my door and turned back to see the wolf eating his scraps from the night before. His fur has started to finally dry some and looked almost shiny. I was about to reach over and pet him when he suddenly started growling. His head had turned towards my window and, before I knew it, he was out it and attacking whatever was out there. I ran to my window to see the wolf extract it's extremely long and sharp looking claws into the throat of a walker. The one swipe of his claws sent the walkers head flying off of its body. I was left speechless at the action and the wolf turned and seen me watching him. The wolf seemed almost ashamed that I had seen him do that but, I couldn't tell. 

     "Come on, boy."

     The wolf hopped back through my window and I closed it before turning back to the wolf. He was sitting down with his head bowed and his yellow eyes on the floor.  I gently petted him and ran my fingers through his soft fur. I looked down at his bandaged leg and took off the gauze to see nothing but a scar. I'm not even surprised that his wound already healed. I pulled it's big and heavy head up and my hands came across something that felt like a belt around his neck. I felt around until my hands found the buckle of the strap and a black collar fell on the floor. I picked it up and seen it had a dog tag attached with something engraved on it. 

     My Name Is Gabe  
     If Found Please Return To Javi Garcia


	11. Javi’s Story

     I had been keeping the wolf, Gabe, hidden away in my room. He didn't make any indication that he wanted to leave so, I just let him stay with me. Gabe, it felt weird calling him that because it's like a human name, would sleep in my room and wait for me to get back from runs and I fed him scraps from dinner. Kenny and Lee took a little bit longer than a day and came back two days after they were supposed to. Lilly had been worried sick and I was there to assure her that they were probably held up by traffic or something. She got a kick out of that and later that day, they both showed up with a shit ton of supplies. 

     We had a celebration dinner that night for their return and successful run. The thought of Gabe's dog tag still bothered me so, I asked Lee and Kenny if they knew anyone named Javi Garcia. 

     "Hey, do you guys know or knew anyone named Javi Garcia?"

      Kenny dropped the fork he had been holding and Lee immediately stopped talking to Lilly after my question. They stared intently at me and Kenny swallowed hard before acknowledging me. 

     "Where did you hear that name?"

     I was confused as Kenny answered my question with a question of his own. 

     "Um, I found a dog in the woods a couple days ago and it had his name on the dog tag."

     Lee nodded at my answer and took a deep breath in. 

     "Yes, we know Javi Garcia. He has a settlement set up about 40 miles from here and he just had his family with him."

     The sadness laced in Lee's explanation was not lost on me and I questioned him about it. 

     "Had?"

     Kenny looked at me with a sorrowful expression and sat his plate down before speaking, the rest of us waiting on the edge of our seats to hear the story. 

     "Me and Lee were on our way back from looking for you one day and we came across a man, a woman, and two kids. They were traveling in a van and trying to find somewhere safe. Javi was the man, Kate was his brothers wife, Gabe was his nephew, and Mariana was his niece. Javi had been taking care of them since his brother ditched them and just trying to keep them alive. We stayed a couple days with them because a storm was blowing in and it was bad. However, one night me and Lee were sleeping inside the van and heard this awful growl and screams. Javi ran out with us in tow and the scene was just fucking awful. Mariana had been ripped apart and Gabe's clothes were there and bloody but, he wasn't. Javi and Kate were devastated and we left the next day and that was all we had heard from them."

     A million thoughts were running through my head about Gabe, Javi, the growl, and the attack. Lee cleared his throat and my attention was back on him. 

     "A couple years later, we found Javi and Kate again with their own community. They seemed better and had more friends with them. Javi offered for us to stay with them because they had a ton of supplies and enough room for us. I had to decline because what if you came back and I wasn't here? So, we declined and Javi said if we ever needed anything that he would help us."

     I nodded my head and felt better about the situation. The moon was well in the sky by now and my eyes were beginning to feel heavy. I bid everyone a goodnight and went back to my room. I opened my door and took off my jacket before turning to my bed. The air was a bit nippy and I shuddered a bit and made a beeline for my blankets. I looked over and seen the wolf laying on his bed, looking all warm and cozy with his thick fur, and glared at him. 

     "Stupid wolf and your stupid thick and warm fur."

     He gave a slight snort at my words and looked lazily at me and my shaking form. I turned away from him and curled tighter into a ball, hoping some warmth would find me. I was nearly asleep when I heard the wolf get up and shake before jumping up on my bed. I have a slight shout at the sudden movement and felt the wolf lay beside my body. Heat was rolling off of him in waves and he let out a huff before going back to sleep. I smiled slightly and finally felt warm and let sleep overtake my body. 

     It was still pitch black outside as I felt Gabe jump and dash from my bed and into the bathroom. Before I could even ask what was happening, my door bursted open and Lilly came in panting. 

     "Clementine, get your stuff and let's go! A big ass herd is heading our way and our generators for the fence are off! We need to go someplace secure!"

     I was up in seconds and throwing shit into my bag. I was ready to go before I heard steps behind me. I turned to see Gabe looking quizzically at me and I patted his head. 

     "Lilly, what about him? We can't just leave him!"

     Lilly groaned at me and huffed before throwing up her arms. 

     "He can ride in the back of my truck but, he has to keep his head down. I'll cover him with a blanket or tarp."

     The wolf nodded upon hearing this and me and Lilly looked at each like "what the fuck?! Did he just nod?!"  Before we could question it, Kenny was shouting at us to get a move on and we quickly ran to Lilly's truck, with Gabe sticking to the shadows and staying hidden. Becca, Shel, and Russell had the RV already running and ready to go. Kenny and Lee had everything packed up in their RV and waving at us to follow. Gabe jumped into the back of Lilly's truck and Lilly strapped down a blanket to cover him before we hoped into her truck and off we went. Everyone had CB installed in their vehicle that Kenny had put in himself and Lilly picked it up and called for Lee. 

     "Lee, where are we going?!"

     There was some static along the frequency but, his answer came out clearly. 

     "We're heading to Javi's community."


	12. I Found Your Wolf

     "So, this is the place?"

     "Yep, guess so."

     "Holy shit."

     "You said it."

     When I had imagined Javi's community, I was thinking it was a small town surrounded by a some concrete. Maybe even a double barrier around it. Boy, how wrong I was. This fucking place had 10 ft high concrete walls with barbed wire wrapped around the tops of them. There was two steel doors that we drove up to and Lee and Kenny got out of their vehicle and walked up to them. I glanced around to see if the others had been a okay and seen them wave at me. I also spared our other passenger a glance and found two yellow eyes peering at me from underneath his blanket. 

     "Animals shouldn't look at people like that."

     I turned around to see Lilly watching me stare at the wolf. She was frowning and then looked once more at the animal. 

     "He looks at you like....like you're something to ea-"

     "Are you fucking quoting Twilight? Lilly, I didn't take you for a fan of sparkling vampires and ripped werewolves."

     "Oh fuck off. It was the only book I could find that was still intact. And apparently you've read it too, little miss badass."

     I shut up after that and turned my attention back to the doors, only to see a man motioning us to pull forward and through the doors. We drove past the walls and parked near Lee and Kenny. Shel pulled her RV behind us and we all got out and looked around. There wasn't a lot of people there and the community looked pretty deserted. I walked to the back of Lilly's truck and told Gabe to stay down and hidden away before I heard a voice call out. 

     "Well, holy shit. Lee and Kenny, is that you guys? It's been awhile and you've brought friends!"

     A very tan looking man walked over to us and pulled Kenny and Lee into a hug. I smiled slightly from the uncomfortable look on both Lee and Kenny but, they still returned the hug.   
Kenny cleared his throat and stepped away from the man's hug and addressed us. 

     "Javi, this is Lilly, Clementine, Shel, Becca, and Russell. We had to leave our place because there was a shit ton of walkers headed our way and we couldn't take the chance of staying. Is your offer about staying here still on the table?"

     The man, Javi, smiled and shook each of our hands before replying. 

     "You're damn straight it is. We have more than enough room and food. Besides, I know Kate has been dying to meet you guys since you rolled through our doors. Come on, I'll show you where you guys will be staying and where everything is."

     The next couple of hours were spent getting settled in and meeting everyone. There was an apartment complex and we were each given a room for ourselves. I made sure mine had a window and snuck away from the tour to sneak the wolf into my apartment. My absence went unnoticed and I walked into the abandoned church just in time to see Javi introducing everyone. 

     "Okay, now that everyone has settled in and gotten comfortable, let's start introductions. This is my wife, Kate. Next to her is Tripp, Eleanor, Ava, and Jesus. We don't have many people but, we do with what we have. Guys, this is Lee, Kenny, Lilly, Clementine, Becca, Shel, and Russell."

     We all waved a greeting to one another and soon began chatting with each other and becoming friends. I found that Eleanor was a medic and we all got checked for bites or infection, just in case. After that, Javi announced that he was quite hungry and dinner would be served soon. I wandered around the little community by myself to get a feel of my surroundings and found that I was not by myself. Out of the corner of my eye I seen a large dark figure moving stealthily in the shadows. I rolled my eyes at the figure and called out to it. 

     "Alright, come on out Gabe. I see you plain as day."

     The wolf slunk out of the shadows with his head down, sad that I had caught him creeping. I sighed in exasperation and patted his head before continuing my walk, him never leaving my side. We walked around the empty neighborhood and I was about to tell him to go back to the apartment but, stopped when I heard Javi call for me. 

     "Hey, Clem! Who's your friend here?"

     I whipped around to see Javi walking towards me and Gabe with a weird smile on his face. The wolf started wagging his tail excitedly and tackled Javi. 

     "Aw, I missed you to Gabe. Where have you been?"

     I was amused at the sight of Javi being tackled by the wolf and it cocked its head at me. Javi looked at me with a twinkle in his eye that had me worried. 

     "Hope he hasn't caused you too much trouble. I know he can be a handful and a pain in the ass."

     I laughed as the wolf nipped Javi's leg and returned to my side, glaring at Javi all the way. 

     "No, actually he's been pretty good. Oh, I have something that also belongs to you."

     I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out Gabe's collar and handed to Javi. Javi took it with a laugh and ran his hand over the dog tag attached to it. 

     "You would not believe the trouble I went through to get this engraved. Me and Kate were traveling around with this guy and met some folks who had engraving tools and did it all by hand. Gabe was not a happy camper about the collar but, it stayed on him no matter what."

     Gabe was still slightly glaring at Javi but, I could still see his tail wagging. 

     "So, is it cool if he stays in my apartment with me? I've grown used to him being there and guarding me."

     Javi came closer and knelt down in front of Gabe before placing his collar back on him. 

     "He's yours for as long as you want him. But, I will need Eleanor to take him two nights from now. It's just going to be a checkup and if he's in good health. I don't want anything happening to him."

     I nodded my head and placed my hand on top of Gabe's head. Javi stood and smiled one more time at Gabe before patting me on the back and leading me towards where everyone else was. 

     "Now, let's go get some grub. I'm sure you both are pretty hungry."

     As we were walking, I could've sworn I heard Javi lean over and whisper to Gabe about picking a good one or something.


	13. Strange Behavior

"What do you have? No. Spit that out now. GABE, DON'T FUCKING EAT THAT!"

     The louder I yelled at him, the faster he ran away from me. I groaned in frustration and rubbed my hands all over my face. The last couple of days have been hell. The wolf has been acting up and I'm glad he has to stay with Eleanor tonight. Gabe has been doing sprints around my room at night, bringing dead animals to me in my apartment, and also watching me very closely. I'm a little weirded out from the staring but, brush it off that he's just wanting to know what I'm doing. 

     Right now we were sitting outside because the temperature was actually above freezing and we spent the day playing outside. Becca and Russell went on a two day run yesterday and will be back later tonight. Shel has been hanging out with Molly, who decided to join us, and they've been getting pretty close. Kenny and Lee have been helping Javi make new plans for the community, something about a dining hall. Lilly has been getting trained by Eleanor to become a medic as well. And me and Gabe patrol the wall, inside and outside. We make sure no one is trying to break in and monitor the amount of walkers. 

     "Hey, Clem!"

     I turn away from scolding Gabe and see Javi jogging up to us. I give a small wave as he approaches and he returns it. 

     "Eleanor will be over later to pick up Gabe. You don't have to come, in fact it's probably best if you didn't."

     I frown at Javi's words but, nod my head in understanding. Gabe has spit out whatever he was chewing on and gave Javi's palm a lick before sitting beside me. Javi cocks an eyebrow down at Gabe, who raises his head in return and it almost looked like he winked at Javi. Javi smiles back to me and nods his head. 

     "Well, alright then. I'll see you two later."

     "Wait, Javi!"

     Javi turns back to me and I start fidgeting with my hands. There's been something I've been thinking about lately and I just have to ask him. 

     "What happened to your family? I've heard a little bit but, there's gotta be more to it than that. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I just wanted to know."

     I seen something dark pass through Javi's eyes and he motions for me to follow him and we walk around the community. 

     "Well, I'm sure you've heard about the attack that night from Lee and Kenny. Mariana was killed by a wolf and we searched everywhere for Gabe. All we found were his bloody clothes and that's it. We did find the wolf that killed Mariana and me and Kate made sure that son of a bitch wouldn't hurt anyone ever again."

     "So, where'd you find him?"

     I gestured towards Gabe and he seemed to be just into the story as I was. Javi gave Gabe a glance before smiling. 

     "We found this guy wandering on the road by himself. He was almost starved and his ribs were sticking out. I gave him some food and then he kinda just stuck around. Me and Kate decided to name him Gabe because he has eyes just like him. When we built this place, Gabe didn't like being trapped inside and we let him go. I always knew he would come back and never worried too much about him."

     My eyes drifted down to Gabe, only to find him staring at me. A smile worked its way across my face and I scratched his ears. 

     "This may sound wrong but, does he ever freak you out? Like, with his intense staring or the way he sometimes responds to you? It's almost like he's a human."

     Javi laughed at my question and also patted Gabe's head. 

     "Oh, Clem. You have no idea."

     I was about to ask Javi what he meant by that but, was cut off as Kate yelled for us. 

     "Hey, foods done! Come and get it!"

     I was disappointed that I didn't get to question Javi but, found my stomach growling. We ate dinner with some conversations about how everyone was doing and then it was time for bed. Me and Gabe made our way back to our apartment and started to bed down. I had just changed into my pjs when there was a knock at my door. I answered it and seen that it was Eleanor with a chain leash. I frown at the sight of it and try explaining that Gabe will come if she just calls him. 

     "I know he will, Clementine. I just don't want him trying to run off when I bring him into my apartment. He doesn't really like the sight of needles."

    I nodded at her explanation and called for Gabe and he came trotting up from behind me but, stopped upon seeing Eleanor. She tried leaning over and attaching the leash to him but, he jerked away from her hand. I was shocked at Gabe's actions because he never acted like that for me. Eleanor then tried chasing him around but, Gabe was just too fast.  I tried helping Eleanor but, Gabe ran away from me as well. Finally, we had Gabe cornered and he did not look happy about it. 

     "Gabe, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Just come with us and get checked out."

     Gabe started snarling slightly and I was completely taken back by his behavior. He must've seen my shocked face and immediately stopped snarling and lowered his head. I tried stepping towards him but, Gabe then made a beeline for his open window. He was out it and gone in a flash, leaving me and Eleanor scrambling after him. I grabbed my coat and threw it on before diving out the window after him. Eleanor was screaming at me to come back and then I heard her say something that almost stopped me in my tracks. 

     "GABE, DON'T HURT HER!"

     And then, all that I heard was the sound of my footsteps stepping on twigs and leaves. I could faintly see Gabe's tail ahead of me and tried catching up to it. The only source of light that night was the full moon, it shined down and made the hair on my arms stand tall. 

     Something doesn't feel right.


	14. What Happened

     I was so close to catching up to Gabe when I tripped on a tree limb. I cursed out loud and tumbled down a hill that appeared out of nowhere. I felt rocks spilt my skin and sticks scrap aggressively against my face. It seemed like an eternity before I finally stopped at the bottom of the damned hill. My vision was blurry and I felt something drip down my temple. My fingers reached up and touched it, confirming my fears that it was blood. I tried standing but, found something protruding out of my left leg. 

Fan-fucking-tastic. As if this wasn't bad enough, now I have a fucking stick rammed through my leg. 

My head began spinning as I sat up but, I fought against it and the nausea. Hopping on my right leg, I dragged myself up and looked around before spotting a sturdy looking stick to my right. Taking that in hand, I limped around the bottom of the hill and tried looking for a way out. There was a opening about 12 feet away from me and I straightened up and slowly but, surely made my way to it. Pain shot throughout my body from my cuts, bruises, and the fucking stick in my leg. I swallowed down the incoming vomit and tried keeping a focus on the clearing. 

Gotta get to Gabe.....I have to find him......Now..

I felt like the earth was ripped out from underneath me as everything went black. My body slumped to the ground and I attempted to keep crawling to the opening but, through my blurry vision, I seen someone. They came close to me and I assumed it was a walker. 

"No....I have to find....Gabe."

The figure was finally in front of me and picked me up like I was a feather. Before I lost consciousness, the figure looked down at me and I seen two yellow eyes. 

"Gabe?"

Then, I was out.

     I was running. I don't even know where I was but, I was getting wherever I was going and fast. However, I came to an abrupt stop because something didn't feel right. It was like some kind of field that I was in and I felt something strange. Like, someone or something was watching me. I turned around and seen a familiar looking wolf running towards me but, he didn't look happy. I started running again and I could here his paws thundering behind me. I glanced back and when I did, Gabe leaped onto me and growled in my face before opening his large jaws and taking a bite. 

     "GABE!"

     "Woah, Clementine! It's okay, you're safe!"

     I was panting harshly and looked around. Eleanor was standing beside me and I noticed I was in a bed with bandages wrapped around me. Pain found me once again and I cringed up and laid back down. I was back in my apartment and the sun was shining brightly in my room. I turned to Eleanor and gave her a her a weak smile. 

     "Hey, El. How long have I been out?"

     "Uh, about two days. You had a slight concussion and you lost a lot of blood from that stick that was in your leg."

     I groaned and stuffed my face into my pillow. I could feel a headache coming on and I did not need that along with my other injuries. 

     "Here, Clem. I brought you a sandwich and a bottle of water. This should help with your thirst and hunger. I'm going to go let Lee and the others know you're awake and doing good. Try to eat all of that sandwich and drink all of the water."

     She didn't have to tell me twice because I had the sandwich scarfed down in seconds and the water helped wash it down. I was feeling better already and as soon as I finished up the water, my door bursted open. Everyone came in to see how I was doing and if I needed anything. I hugged Lee as he was almost in tears from my injuries and Lilly hugged me just as hard. They all stayed for awhile and became exhausted from the attention and was glad when they finally left. Well, almost everyone. Javi stayed back and waited til the rest left before approaching me. 

     "Hey, Clem. How ya holding up?"

     I shrugged my shoulders a bit and gestured for him to sit in the chair beside my bed. 

     "Javi, what happened to Gabe?"

     Javi plopped down into the seat and scratched his head. 

     "He hasn't came back yet. I haven't seen or heard from him but, I'm sure he'll be back. Especially since your here."

     I rolled my eyes at Javi and became serious for a moment. 

     "Javi, how the fuck did I get back here? The last thing I remember was collapsing at the bottom of a hill and passing out. But, there was someone there and they picked me up."

     Javi seemed rather reluctant to answer my question and I could see him try to mask his emotions. 

     "I'm not sure, Clementine. We found you outside of the gate, as if someone dropped you off. There was no one else out there."

     I frowned because I knew Javi was lying to me but, I didn't have it in me to argue at the moment. My leg started throbbing and I clenched my teeth together. Javi watched me and stood up before exiting the room. 

     "I'll send Eleanor back in here to give you some pain medication for your leg. Try to get some rest, Clementine. We'll talk more when you feel better."

     I was frustrated with his answer and wanted nothing more than to throw something at him. But, he exited the room before I could launch anything at him and just decided to wait until I was stronger. As I laid back down on the bed, I had so many thoughts running through my head. 

     Where's Gabe? Who was that person? Did they bring me here? Why? 

     My head spun from the questions and I closed my eyes to stop the room from spinning. Eleanor came back with my pain meds and I went to sleep in no time. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some more answers.


	15. Hunting Trip

Walking with crutches fucking sucks. Eleanor is making me use the crutches until my leg heals up and my armpits are fucking killing me. Lee has been hovering over me lately because of my injuries but, the man needs to give me space. For the past week I've been trying to corner Javi and give him more details about what happened. However, he always slips away before I can ask any questions and it's pissing me off. I need him to answer my questions about Gabe so, I can find out what happened. 

I can't sleep at night. 

Every night I have the same nightmare that leaves me drenched in sweat and harshly panting. I'm chained to a tree in the middle of the woods. The moon is high in the sky and I feel truly alone but, I know I'm not. I can feel eyes watching me and I scream out for whoever it is to show themselves. A dark chuckle sounds from behind me and it sends chills up my back. A claw then reaches through the darkness and grips my neck so tightly that I can't breath. I wither around, trying to release the grasp the beast has on me. Before I suffocate from the lack of oxygen, the beasts' voice teasingly calls out to me. 

"You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."

And then, the claws go deeper in my neck and I jerk awake. This has been a reoccurring nightmare and have it every night. I've asked Eleanor for sleeping medication but, she ran out just last month. So, my days are spent hobbling around on my crutches with bags under my eyes and dreading going to sleep at night. The others look at me with worried eyes and I can't stand to see them. 

"Hey, Clemmy Clue. How are you feeling?"

     I was hopping over to the newly built dining hall to get some food when Lee stopped me. My leg was feeling a lot better and I could even walk on it. But, Eleanor told me to use the crutches a couple more days just in case any tearing occurs. I turned towards Lee and seen that he was with Lilly. 

     "Hey, guys. I'm feeling great and Eleanor even said I could stop using these crutches in a couple of days."

     "That's great, Clem! Come on, let's go get a bite to eat. And talk about what's going on this week."

     We all sat down at a table, munching on ham sandwiches and talking about the objectives this week. I had barely listened to Lilly ramble on about what was going to happen but, my attention was caught when she mentioned Javi going hunting Friday. 

     "Wait. Back up. You said Javi is going hunting this Friday in the woods?"

     Lilly furrowed her eyebrows at me for interrupting her but, still answered my question. 

     "Yes, Clementine. Javi is going hunting this Friday and he said he was going alone."

     Lilly hadn't even finished talking before I was up and hurriedly hopping towards the door. I heard Lee shout after me but, I was gone and in search of that asshole we call Javi. It wasn't hard to find him because if you find Kate, Javi is always within 10 feet of her. Kate was near her house she shares with Javi and working on her garden. She stopped upon hearing me approach and gave me a smile. 

     "Hey, Clementine. Javi is inside cleaning his guns."

     "Thanks, Kate. Nice garden by the way!"

     I moved up the steps one at a time due to my crutches but, eventually made it through their front door. I found Javi sitting at his kitchen table and cleaning all of his guns. He looked up at me when I stood at the entrance of the dining room and he sat down the gun he was cleaning. Javi let out a sigh and shook his head. 

     "No, you cannot come hunting with me Friday."

     "Um, why the fuck not?"

     His eyes traveled towards my crutches and he cocked an eyebrow. 

     "You're not going to be the quietest out there with them things."

     "Okay, Eleanor said I should be good in a couple of days anyway. Please, Javi. Let me go with you and get out of this place for awhile. I can't sleep at night with these awful nightmares about something being in them woods. Please."

     I was nearly begging Javi by the time I finished and I felt a little ashamed. But, I needed to go with Javi because I need closure. 

     "IF and only IF Eleanor comes to me Friday and tells me that you can go with me without the crutches. That's the only way, Clem."

    I was ecstatic and thanked Javi a dozen times before going back to my apartment and doing some physical therapy. Today was Monday and I worked all week on restoring my health and doing everything Eleanor had told me I needed to do. Friday came all too quickly and I found that I could walk on my leg without any pain or problems. I really hoped Eleanor would see this and give me the green light to go with Javi. 

     I walked over towards Eleanor's tent she had set up for medical emergencies and I seen that she was joined with Javi. Eleanor made me do a series of stretches and movements, trying to see if anything was wrong with my leg. I did this for almost an hour before Eleanor stopped me. 

     "Okay, Clementine. I think you can go with Javi."

     "YES!"

     I was about to do a happy dance but, realized I would stupid in front of Javi and Eleanor. I settled for smiling hugely at Javi and he returned it. 

     "Well, go get something to eat and tell Lee and Lilly where we're going. I'll come get you when it's time."

     I was out of the tent in no time and almost sprinting towards the dining hall. I told Lee where I was going and, although he looked upset at me leaving again, he gave me a hug and told me to be careful. I ate my dinner and taking my plate to the trash when Javi came in. 

     "Hey, Clem! Are you ready to go?"

     "Yep. I've been ready this whole week. Let's go!"

     We were off and walking into the woods with our guns. Javi said he had seen a couple of deer roaming nearby and that we should split up and look for them. I agreed and I went left while Javi went right. I was more than deep into the woods and trying to stay quiet and look for tracks when I heard something that made my blood run cold. 

     Was that a fucking howl?!


	16. Big Bad Wolf

     My heart began pounding in my chest as I tried looking around for any sign of Javi. My voice died in my throat as I become aware that I wasn't alone. Twigs snapped to the left of me and I whipped around and pointed my gun at the sound. I couldn't see anything and that just made me even more terrified. I backed slowly away from the noise and turned to run back to where me and Javi had split up but, found something blocking my path. 

     Oh fuck. 

     That something was big and furry but, it wasn't Gabe. I looked up as it began to growl and found myself staring up at a severely pissed off grizzly bear. 

     OH FUCK.

     The bear had reared up on its back legs and roared viciously at me. At that, I turned around and began sprinting through the trees. I could hear the thundering of the bears legs as it charged after me. It began closing in on me and I began to lose my breath from all the running. My legs gave out from under me and I fell to the ground, closing my eyes as I heard the bear come closer. 

     Goodbye, Lee. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. 

     Tears were rolling down my face and I prepared for the strike that was sure to come but, felt nothing. But, I did hear a sickening crunch and some footsteps that were too light for the bear to make. I shakily opened my eyes and could not believe them. The bear was lying dead five feet away from me and I seen a figure standing on top of it. I sat up and began crawling away, hoping not to catch the attention of the figure. I was nearly three feet away when my hand landed on a stick and caused it to snap. The figure snapped its head towards me and jumped off of the bear. 

     "Oh shit!"

     And then I was running away once more. Only this time it was from a mysterious figure and not a 300 pound grizzly bear. I didn't hear anything behind me and came to a stop to listen. There was nothing but, some crickets chirping and the wind slightly blew. I gripped my red jacket closer to me and sat down by a tree. My leg was throbbing from all the running and I popped some ibuprofen that Eleanor sent with me. I leaned my head against the tree and closed my eyes for a moment. 

     Snap!

     My eyes opened to see what caused the sound and found myself staring into golden/yellow eyes. I started to scream but, the boy clasped his hand on my mouth to stop me. 

     "Don't scream, unless you want every walker within 50 miles to come to us."

     I shook my head lightly and he removed his hand. I took in a deep breath and gave the boy a once over. He was around my age, maybe older, wearing cargo shorts and a black shirt. His hair was a dark brown and it fell almost over his eyes. His hands were huge and looked as though he could strangle a bear. 

     Wait. 

     "Did you kill that bear?"

     His golden eyes snapped towards me and he gave me a toothy smirk. His teeth were a blinding white and they almost seemed sharp. 

     "Sure did. Figured I shouldn't let you get killed after all you've been through."

     I frowned at his words and stood up. I wiped off the dirt that was on me and approached the bear killer. 

     "What do you mean by that? And what's your name?"

     "Well, I suppose you can call me G for now. And I just know that you've been through a lot considering that you took a nasty fall last week."

     "Was that you who brought me back to my community?"

     My answer was a nod of the head and I was left in shock. I couldn't believe that some stranger would help me like that. I stepped closer to him and he looked at me with another grin. The grin seemed almost predatory and it sent a chill through me. He must've seen me shiver because he sent me another grin and stalked closer to me. I couldn't move from under his gaze and he was within inches from me. His face lowered down to mine and I could smell his minty breath. The boy opened his mouth to say something but, another voice cut him off. 

     "Clem! Where are you! Let's go!"

     Javi. 

     The boy stepped away from me and gave me a kind smile. I was surprised at the gesture and even more surprised at the reaction I had to it. My heart started racing, I felt blood rush to my cheeks, and I wanted to see more of them smiles. G also threw me a wink and turned around to walk further into the woods, singing a song that I didn't recognize. 

     "Hey there Little Red Riding Hood. You sure are looking good. You're everything a big bad wolf could want."

     His voice faded away as I lost sight of him. I was left standing there in shock of what had all happened tonight. I jumped as I felt a hand on my shoulder and seen that it was Javi. 

     "Clementine, where the hell were you? Didn't you hear me calling for you?"

     "Sorry, Javi. I was almost killed by this grizzly bear but, this boy saved me."

     Me and Javi went back to the dead bear and he looked skeptical at me. 

     "You're saying a boy killed this bear without a weapon of any sort? Clementine, come on. I don't believe that for a second."

     I threw my hands in the air and sighed in aggravation. 

     "Whatever, Javi. Let's just go get something to haul this bitch in and go to bed. I'm exhausted and my leg is killing me." 

     We walked back to the community in silence and Javi went with Lee to get the bear. I took some pain medication and laid down in my bed. All my thoughts revolving around the boy named G that I had met tonight. For the first time in days, I didn't have a nightmare.


	17. Surprise Guest

     We ate on that big ass bear for nearly a week. Javi had told the others that I had killed it by myself, which left me wondering why he would do that because I didn't kill it. 

The mysterious boy named G did. 

I thought about the boy every night and when I wasn't thinking of him, I was thinking about Gabe. Javi claimed to have ran into him when we were hunting and that he's fine. I didn't believe him for a goddamn second because Gabe would've smelled me and came to me. So, my thoughts always revolved around them two and today was no different. I was sitting at a picnic table, thinking about where either of them could be, and I almost didn't hear Lee approach me. 

"What's got you thinking so hard, sweet pea?"

I sighed as Lee sat beside me and I turned to him. I had to tell someone that I wasn't the one who killed that bear. 

"Lee, you have to believe me when I tell you this. I didn't kill that bear and neither did Javi."

Lee stared at me with a concerned face and leaned in closer to me. 

"Well, if it wasn't either of you, who was it?"

I took a deep breath and decided to spill the beans. 

"I met a boy around my age in the woods. He killed the bear with his own hands and he's also the one who brought me back here when I feel."

"A random boy in the woods saved you twice but, none of us have seen him? Clementine."

I threw my arms in the air and let out a frustrated shout before standing up and walking away. Lee shouted after me but, I kept walking until I reached my apartment and slammed the door behind me. I knew he wouldn't believe but, I had to try. My head was starting to throb with a headache and I rummaged through my drawer for ibuprofen when I felt a breeze come through. I shivered a bit and stood to close my window when I froze. 

I didn't leave my window open. 

A groan came from my bathroom and I was tempted to run and get someone but, I found myself creeping closer to it. Another groan sounded and I slowly opened the door and gasped at the sight. Blood was nearly everywhere but, that wasn't what caught my attention first. No, it was the boy currently bleeding out in my bathtub. I was staring at him and his eyes were half lidded, like he was struggling to stay awake. His hand reached out for me and he murmured a few words. 

"Clem, help me."

Shit! Think, Clem! What would Eleanor do?

"I gotta clean your wound and get the blood off of him."

I rushed to his side and knelt down and hoisted him up. G groaned at the movement but, I had to see where he was bleeding from. Blood seemed to be pouring out on his torso and I yanked off his shirt. Had he not had three deep slashes across his chest that were gushing blood, I would've been drooling at his body. The cuts were deep enough for stitches but, I needed to clean them first. I reached down and turned on the shower, the water washing away the blood and it swirling down the drain. My eyes scanned his body for any more signs of blood and I seen some coming from above his right knee. 

Fucking great. I have to take off his shorts. 

My hands were shaky as I undid his belt and quickly unbuttoned his shorts. I yanked down his shorts and threw them to the side where his shirt was. I thanked God that he was wearing black boxers and I searched for his other wound. It looked like a big ass bite mark and had deep punctures around it. He finally seemed to stop bleeding and I shut off the shower before grabbing a towel. I shook his shoulders lightly and spoke to him softly. 

"Hey, G. I need you to stand up and get out of the bath so, I can dry you. Then, you can lay down on the bed."

The boy let another groan but, did as I asked and stepped out of the bath. I quickly toweled him down and led him to the bed but, quickly stopped him because his boxers were soaking wet and I didn't want my bed to be wet. I grabbed the biggest towel I had and handed it to him. 

"I need you to take off your boxers. They drenched and then the bed will be wet and uncomfortable."

Before I could even finish speaking, his hands gripped his boxers and yanked them down. I shut my eyes as soon as I saw his Iliac Furrow and turned around. I waited until I heard him lay on the bed and turned back to him. I grabbed a needle and fish line I had in my bed side stand and also fished out some gauze and alcohol. I sterilized the needle and turned back to G, who had a terrified look on his face as he seen the needle. 

"It's okay, I will do it quickly and then we'll be done."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes before leaning back onto my pillow. I worked quickly on his wounds and he only flinched a couple times. I lightly dabbed the wounds with alcohol before wrapping gauze around them. I also handed him a couple of pain killers with a bottle of water. I seen his eyes become droopy and I needed to ask him one last thing before he passed out. 

"G, what happened to you? How did you get them deep cut? And how the fuck did you know where I lived?"

He smiled lightly at my last question and opened his golden eyes a little wider to look me in the eyes. 

"Wolves."


	18. The Reveal

I swear I had the best sleep of my life last night. After patching up G and making a pillow divider between us, I went right to sleep and had a dreamless rest. But I guess sometime during the night, one of us completely destroyed the barrier and moved closer together. When my eyes opened the first thing I noticed was an arm around my neck. It wasn't choking me or anything, just thrown across me in a careless manner. I knew it wasn't my own arm because it had old scars around the wrist and the skin was nearly mangled. After studying the arm for a moment, I finally realized that the other arm was wrapped around my waist and a body was pressed tightly against my back. And then, I flipped shit. 

"AHH! WHAT THE FUCK?!"

I completely rolled out of bed and would've fell on the floor if an arm hadn't shot out and pulled me back. I was face to face with G and he frowned sleepily at me. 

"Clem, why are you screaming? It's not even light outside yet."

I blushed bright red as I discovered he was still only in a towel that was threatening to fall off his hips. I jerked upright and hopped out of bed before standing at the foot of the bed. G sat up and rubbed his eyes free of sleep, the covers and towel pooling dangerously low on him and it looking like he was naked. I opened my mouth to tell him to cover up but, my front door bursted open and almost everyone came charging into my apartment. 

Lee, Kenny, Becca, Shel, Russell, Lilly, Holly, Javi, and Kate came in with their weapons drawn and looking for what made me scream. Thankfully, I was still dressed but G wasn't in the slightest. And that looked very, very bad because he was in my bed. Lee was the first to look between me and G with a shocked/angry expression on his face. 

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?! CLEMENTINE, EXPLAIN NOW!"

I started stuttering and trying to spit out an explanation but before any actual words came out, Lee lunged toward G. 

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"NO, LEE! WAIT!"

Javi manage to grab Lee before he could attack G and Kenny helped hold him back. Although, Kenny looked pretty pissed too. G flew out of bed and stood beside me, holding tightly onto his towel. 

"I can explain! Just wait and don't kill me!"

Lee shrugged off the guys' hold they had on him and crossed his arms in front of him, still looking pissed off. Javi looked oddly at G and Kate seemed to be smiling? 

Huh. What's up with them two?"

My attention was quickly brought back to Lee and G as Lee tightly grasped his gun and had his finger on the trigger. G stepped slightly closer to me and our arms were brushing against each other. I took in a calming breath and gestured with my hands for everyone to calm down. 

"Alright, let's all just calm the fuck down. I know this looks bad but, let me explain. G was the one who saved me both times in the woods. The first was when I took that fall down the hill and the second was with the bear that he killed, not me. He came to me last night and was nearly covered in blood because of some cuts. I stitched him up and then we went to bed. I had to take off his clothes because I couldn't dress his wounds with them on. That's it." 

Lee seemed skeptical of my explanation but, I looked at him intensely and he caved. 

"Fine! Whatever! I'm going back to bed! But, you best get your ass in some clothes or you'll be wishing that you bled out last night."

After that, Lee turned around and went back out of my apartment. Lilly gave me a sly smile at me and G before following Lee. The others slowly made their way out of my apartment and back to bed, except for Javi and Kate. Javi leaned down to G's boxers and threw them at him. G caught them and went to bathroom to change, leaving me with Javi and Kate. It was pretty awkward to say the least and then not talking only made it worse. G soon came back out and Kate immediately enveloped him in a hug that he returned. Javi watched them with a smile and I was fucking lost. 

"Pardon my language but, what in the actual fuck is going on here? How do you guys know each other?"

Kate pulled away from G with tears in her eyes but, a smile planted on her face. 

"Well, I wouldn't forget my son."

"Your what now? I thought Gabe....was..your...son."

The pieces slowly came together in my mind and I was baffled. 

G stands for Gabe. I'm so fucking stupid. 

"HOLD UP!"

     My head began to hurt as I took in all the information and tried to connect everything. I closed my eyes as a pounding started to occur and I felt queasy. A hand touched my head and I opened my eyes to see G, no Gabe, looking concerned at me. His golden eyes were soft and my headache just became a soft throb. Gabe then smiled at me before turning back to Kate and Javi. 

     "We still have a couple hours til daylight and should get some more sleep, how about we talk about this after breakfast?"

     They both nodded at the proposition and left me alone with Gabe. I was slightly irritated they didn't take Gabe and he just jumped back into my bed and patted the spot beside him. I huffed in annoyance but, slid back into bed and built up the pillow wall once more. Gabe smirked at my action and turned on his side toward me, his golden eyes never looking away from me. My eyelids grew heavy and I slowly fell back asleep and I faintly heard Gabe say something. 

     "Talk to you soon, Clemmy."


	19. Everyone Meet Gabe

     The morning was filled with tension as we all sat around tables and ate breakfast together. Gabe had finally put on some clothes but, Lee still looked at him like he wanted to hang him by his calves. Gabe sat next to me on one side and Kate sat on the other. Lee was sitting across from us and sending dirty looks at Gabe all throughout breakfast. Gabe seemed oblivious about the looks and ate without a care in the world. 

     After we were all done eating, everyone gathered around and waited to hear about Gabe. He doesn't seem deterred by the attention and leans back in his seat before beginning. 

     "Well, let's just start from the very beginning. My name is Gabriel Garcia, I am 19 years old, and I am the son of David Garcia and was brother to Mariana Garcia. My mother died when I was younger and then Kate came into my life. We were all pretty close before everything went to shit one day but, that day was the last time I had seen my father. Javi then took us under his care and we all traveled in this shitty van together and everything was great. Until, one night, it wasn't. Lee and Kenny had stayed with us that night because of an awful storm coming through. Me and Mariana were outside, watching the storm slowly blow in, when something attacked us. I tried fighting it off but, it didn't want me. It wanted Mariana."

     I could feel Gabe tense whenever he mentioned Mariana and I didn't know what to do. I'm not the best at comforting people so, I froze as Gabe clenched his fists and tensed up once more. Kate finally came to the rescue and rubbed Gabe's back in circles. He let out a shuddering breath and give everyone a slight smile before continuing. 

     "After it was done with Mariana, it turned on me. When it came closer to me, I seen what it really was. A wolf, big ass one too. It clawed and bite but, I stuck it with a nearby limb. My clothes were getting torn to shreds and I was bleeding profusely. The wolf then chased me into the woods and I just ran. I finally came to a river and I jumped into it, the storm sweeping me away until I hit a rock and was knocked out. I must've floated for hours before finally waking up and dragging my body to the shore. Some people found me and they helped me recover. I was with them for a very long time and then, I'm here."

     The ending of his story was pretty weird and sounded rather abrupt. I was about to question it but, looked at Lee and was shocked by his expression. He must've dropped his glare when Gabe was talking because Lee was looking anything but angry. He was almost in tears and Lee stood up and walked over to Gabe. I didn't know what he was going to do and watched him with my breath being held. Lee dropped down on one knee and pulled a shocked Gabe into a hug. 

     "Gabe? Little Gabe? I didn't even recognize you, you've grown up."

     Gabe awkwardly patted Lee's back and laughed lightly at his words. 

     "Yeah, Lee. It's me, Gabe."

     They stayed like that for a couple of moments before Lee released him and he turned to me. Lee smiled at me and nodded his head before returning to Lilly's side. 

     What the fuck. Why did Lee nod at me like that? 

     The rest of the day was kind of fun. Gabe didn't seem to want to leave my side and I sort of liked the company. I told him about everything that has happened to me and about Lee. Gabe seemed to hang on to every word I said and it was refreshing for someone to listen to me without any doubt or questions. We walked around the community and just talked about everything. Gabe told me about his sister and how they were close. I asked about his father and I seen Gabe tense up and touch his wrists. I frowned as I remembered the scars and went to ask Gabe about them but, was cut off. 

     "Hey! You two coming to dinner or what?"

     We both turned to see Javi grinning slyly at us and I'm hit with a sense of déjà vu when me and the other Gabe, the wolf, was walking with me down the same street. 

     Huh. They both have the name Gabe. What a coincidence. 

     I didn't have time to dwell on my new discovery because Gabe took my hand and lead me to the dining building. My heart did a stupid little stutter at the contact and I calmed myself down before we walked into the building. Everyone was already sitting down and eating when we walked in, hand in hand. Becca let out a loud whoop at the sight and I released Gabe's hand to flip her off. After that, we sit down and chow down on some food. There's talk thrown around and Javi mentions something about a storm coming and a full moon because he can feel it in his bones. Gabe snorts at his comment and throws a chicken wing at him. Javi looks offended before throwing an empty water bottle at Gabe. 

     "Alright! The next person to throw anything is getting their ass beat by me!"

     Kate's shout did nothing to faze Javi as he smiles really big and picks up a chip and flicks it at Kate before winking at her. 

     "I love it when you get rough with me."

     I was dragged out of the building as Gabe sprinted away as fast as he could, whilst holding my hand. I laughed at his reaction and ran with him all the way to my apartment. I had agreed to share it with Gabe while the others would fix him up a place of his own. Gabe didn't want to stay with Javi and Kate in fear of hearing them do something. I felt exhausted as we finally settled down for bed and the pillow barrier still remained between us. I turned to face Gabe as he laid down as well and we both looked at each other. I looked down at his wrists and took them in my hands, my thumbs running across the deep scars. 

     "Gabe, how did you get these?"

     Gabe looked uncomfortable at my question and tried pulling them back. 

     "Some things are better left buried and kept hidden."

     I felt something in my chest at hearing his meek voice and brought his wrists up to my face and placed kisses on each scar on each wrist. 

     "But, even things buried in the deepest graves and hidden in the darkest corners, will eventually come into light. Goodnight, Gabe."

     "Goodnight, Clementine."


	20. Can’t Fight The Moonlight

     Well, Javi was right about a storm coming. Dark clouds were rolling in from the South and they looked like bad news. But, Javi said we each have a shelter underground that we can get in if it gets too bad. We all got up and did our chores early this morning and picked up everything that might get blown away in the storm. Gabe was acting pretty strange because every time I would get close to him, he would get really tense and walk away from me. I tried talking to him when we were picking up lawn chairs but, he ignored me. That was the last straw for me and I threw the lawn chair I was carrying and stormed off to my apartment. 

     I was in there for a good hour before I heard a knock at my door. I was expecting to see Lee or Becca there but, it was Gabe. I frowned at him and blocked the entrance. 

     "What do you want?"

     Gabe sighed and looked at his feet, shuffling them and kicking little rocks. I cleared my throat and his head snapped up and his golden eyes burned into mine. I wanted to look away and step back but, I held my ground. 

     "Clem, I'm sorry for how I've been acting today. It's not you, it's me. I hate storms because they just bring back memories from that night with Mariana."

     My frown slid off my face as I heard his voice crack from emotion. I silently cursed to myself and moved to the side, letting Gabe enter. He walked past me and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to him. 

     "You wanted to know about my scars, right?"

     I sat next to him and watched as he started feeling the scars and closed his eyes. 

     "Gabe, you don't have to. I understand if you don't want to and I won't be mad at you."

     Gabe looked up and gave me the same sweet smile from the woods that night with the bear. My heart skipped a beat and I could feel a blush creeping up my neck. 

     "Nah, it's alright. I don't like lying or keeping anything from you. And the others."

     I nodded my head and waited for him to start his story. 

     "So, part of the story yesterday was not the whole truth. After I climbed out of the river, the people who found me was my dad and his friend, Max. They took me to their house far away from here and helped me get my strength back. I thought that David had truly wanted to help me but, I was wrong. They placed chains around my wrists and ankles that had blades inside of them so, I couldn't slide out of them or even move without shedding my skin. They looked me away for days, weeks and only gave me water and stale bread every week."

     I was in shock as I listened to Gabe and watched as he leaned down and took off his sock and shoes, revealing scars on both of his ankles as well. 

     "Gabe, how did you escape then?"

     "Clem, there's a reason they had me chained up and it's also how I escaped. You have to believe me when I say this, okay?"

     I looked skeptical at Gabe but nodded my head anyways. He opened his mouth to respond but, was cut off as Lee bursted through the door. We both jump and look at Lee, who is looking slightly out of breath. 

     "Get to your shelters now! The storm is a lot stronger than we anticipated and we can't take any chances. Take this radio and stay in touch. Go!"

     I grab the radio and we run outside and find that the sun had been down for quite awhile. We sprint to our shelter as Lee runs to his. The wind is howling and lightning is striking everywhere. I grab Gabe's hand and we run faster to the shelter. We make it and slam the door behind us. The shelter was dark and Gabe looked around for a flashlight before finding one and shining it in my face. I go to grab it from him but, hear the radio go off and it sounds like Javi. 

     "Clem, tell Gabe it's a full moon. You need-SHHHSHSHHSHSH."

     I frown at the static that was coming through and listen but, don't hear anything else. I turn towards Gabe and see him staring at the wall. I walk towards him and he whips around with a solemn look on his face. 

     "Clem, I need you to listen to me. Before we were interrupted by Lee, I was going to tell you something that may seem a little far fetched. But, since it's a full moon, I can just show you. Do you trust me?"

     "It sounds like I shouldn't because you sound fucking crazy right now. But, I do trust you."

     Gabe smiles that sweet smile and then takes off his shirt and shoes. I blush heavily and shout at him. 

     "I said I trust you, not I wanna have sex with you! What are you doing?!"

     "Well, these are perfectly fine clothes and they don't need to get ripped. And I'm not going to have sex with you, geeze you perv."

     I roll my eyes at him but, turn away as he completely strips himself to his birthday suit. 

     "Whatever you do, don't freak out or shoot me."

     Before I can respond, the sound of bones cracking and some slight groans come from behind me. I'm almost afraid to turn around but, find myself doing it anyways and what I see I can't comprehend. Right where Gabe was standing was now a very large wolf. But, not just any wolf. 

     It was Gabe, the wolf Gabe. 

     As everything slowly pieces together in my mind with the two Gabe's being one Gabe, I see the wolf walk towards me. I thought I was doing pretty good until my head went light and I fell to the floor. Darkness surrounded me and the last thing I seen was Gabe approaching me before I completely passed out.


	21. Let The River Run

     I had no idea where the fuck I was. My head was spinning and when I opened my eyes it only got worse. I tried clearing my mind and opened my eyes once more and seen Lee standing over me. 

     "Lee? Where am I?"

     He smiled at me and patted my head in a comforting manner. 

     "Hey, sweet pea. You fainted in your shelter and Gabe brought you over to ours. The storm is raging on but, you're okay."

     Wait, Gabe? Gabe!

     I jolted up and looked around to see Lilly and Gabe talking about something. He must've heard me get up because his head snapped to look at me and he gave me a wink. I felt the breath get taken from my chest as I remembered what made me faint. Lee slowly pushed me back onto a cot I was on and scolded me. 

     "Don't jerk up like that, Clem. You're only going to make your headache worse. Here, take these and get some more rest, I'll wake you when the storm is over."

     He didn't leave any room for complaints and I was too tired to fight it. I gave Gabe one more glance before taking the medication from Lee and laying down. I closed my eyes for the second time that night but, this time it was voluntary. 

     "CLEMENTINE! Get up! We have to go, now!"

     Lee was shaking me awake and I shot up in a panic. I glanced around and seen Lee and Lilly at the entrance of the shelter with their bags on. I felt myself get picked up bridal style and seen Gabe giving me a smirk. 

     "I got her! Just go!"

     Lilly ran out and Lee gave me another look before following her. Gabe tightened his hold on me and glanced down at me. 

     "Better hold on tight, Clementine. The dam near us broke and everything's getting flooded. We gotta go."

     He threw open the front door and ran out it. The storm was done but, there was still clouds covering the sun. But, that's not the first thing I noticed. No, it was a roar that sounded all around us and I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. Gabe ran fast across the street to where everyone was piling into the RVs and Lilly's truck. Gabe took us into the one with Javi, Kate, Kenny, Lilly, and Lee. He sat me down on a bed and then we were off. Lee told me the others were in the RV behind us and Russell was with Becca in the truck. He also told me everyone was okay. Gabe sat next to me but, was having a quiet conversation with Javi. I wondered what they were talking about when Kenny swore out loud and slammed on the brakes. 

     "Son of a bitch! Hold on!"

     I would've went flying if Gabe hadn't grab me and held me down. We fell on the floor of the RV and I was trapped underneath him. I blushed bright red and shoved him off of me and sat up. Everyone's attention was currently on whatever made us stop and I was curious. I looked out the window and seen the road was flooded by a raging river. Javi cursed as well and sighed. 

     "That's the only way out. We have to cross it."

     Kenny hit the steering wheel again and frowned before looking back at us. 

     "The RV's have AWD and can make it across. Just watch out for the kid and girl in the truck. It's only a FWD."

     And with that, he slammed on the gas and headed across the river. Water got into the RV but, we still kept going. I was terrified that we would get swept away and drown. A hand grasped mine and I seen it was Gabe holding it. He smiled that smile of his and I completely forgot about what was happening. 

     "Alright, both RVs made it! Let's get out and make sure that truck makes it."

     I jumped at Kenny's shouting and realized that we already crossed the river. We all got out of the RVs and watched as Russell and Becca started driving across it. They went slow and Shel was nearly sobbing as she seen the look of terror on her sisters face. The truck was doing good until it jerked and came to a stop. 

     "Fuck! Too much water has got in the engine they have to get out or they'll get swept away!"

     We started shouting for them to get out and Russell grabbed Becca and pulled her out of the truck and started swimming towards us. They fought against the strong current of the water and almost went under multiple times. They were 6 feet from us and the shore when a walker popped out of the water and bit into Becca's neck. Shel let out a shout and was going in the water before Tripp grabbed her and held her down. 

     "NO! BECCA!"

     Becca drove a knife through the walkers eye and it floated away. Russell tried swimming with Becca to the shore but, she pushed against him. She said something that we couldn't hear over the roar of the river and gave a long kiss before making him let go. She waved goodbye to us before the current pulled her under and that was it. Russell seemed to be crying as he made it to the other side with us. Lee was the first to pull him up and out of the water and Gabe was right behind him. We rushed to help and dragged him back to the RV. Then, he sobbed and held onto Shel. I was about to start crying as well but, a shout caught our attention. 

     "FUCK! GET OFF!"

     We turned to see Lee get pulled into the river and Gabe was trying to kill it from the bank. We rushed to help Lee but, he shouted once more before getting pulled under. And the others were in shock while I was in a rage. I turned to Gabe with hate in my eyes and punched him. 

     "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

     "A walker grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the water. I tried helping him but, it was too late. I'm sorry, Clem!"

     Tears were rushing down my face and I furiously wiped them away before going to Lilly, who was now full on sobbing. I looked once more over my shoulder at Gabe with a look of loathing before spitting out words that were laced with pure hatred. I didn't mean for the words to come out like they did but, I was feeling nothing but hate inside. 

     "It should've been you."

     I turned to Lilly and we started walking to the RV. I heard Gabe's voice crack as he called out to me but, I kept on walking. 

     "Clementine, I love you and I'm sorry."

     His words made me pause and as I turned to him, all I seen was Gabe diving into the water. Kate screamed out and tried going after him but, Javi grabbed her from behind. I ran to the bank and tried looking for him but, there was nothing. I pounded the ground in front of me and began sobbing. Our shouting must have been loud because I heard groans coming from walkers and they were close. 

     "Fuck! Everyone get in an RV and let's go! I've got Clementine!"

     I felt Kenny haul me off and I started kicking and screaming for him to leave me. Kenny dragged me back to the RV and threw me in with him behind me. I heard people pile in but, it was all background noise. I rushed to the window as we drove off and was still looking out the window for Lee and Gabe to pop out of the river. 

     They never did.


	22. Three Crosses

Time seemed to be frozen, yet it went by so quick. It didn't seem real and I woke each day praying that everything was back to the way it was. Lee would be with Lilly and I would be with....Gabe. The words he last spoke to me were still ringing through my head. 

"Clementine, I love you and I'm sorry."

I shook my head to get the words out but, they just wouldn't fucking leave. If I closed my eyes at all, all I seen was a remorseful look on his face and then him jumping into the water. I couldn't bear to sleep at night because the visions came back. All the people I let down where there but, now there were three more people in them. Lee, Becca, and Gabe. Becca would ask how I let her die because I should've been in the truck with Lilly. Lee just stands there and gives me a nasty scowl with hate in his eyes. But, Gabe is the worst one I've ever experienced because he doesn't blame me. 

Gabe reassures me that it was his choice to go in the river and it was his fault. Him saying that hurts me so much more than the others. 

"Hey, Clementine. You in there? We're about to start."

I jumped at the sound of Lilly's voice outside the RV and I looked out the window to see everyone standing outside. I wiped my tears away, put on my hat, and stepped outside. Lilly's eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags under them, indicating that she hasn't gotten any sleep. I gave her a fake smile and we walked over to where the others were. Russell and Shel were placing finishing touches on the last one before stepping away, showing me what they'd been working on. 

There, in front of me, were three wooden crosses. 

I turned my head away from them as I heard Shel choke on a sob. Kenny had been looking at me but, I couldn't look at him and not see Lee. I closed my eyes as a soft breeze blew around us and the whimper I let out was lost in the wind. I opened my eyes back up to see Kate clutching what looked like an orange beanie in her hand. She had tear streaks down her cheeks and Javi could only hold her so she wouldn't fall over. Russell wasn't doing anything and it kind of worried me because he always had something to say. Tripp started saying a couple words about them and I just tuned him out because I know how good of people they were. 

"Does anyone else have something they would like to say?"

No one made a sound and that was it. We all packed back into the RVs and kept driving. Kenny had mentioned something about heading up North and see how things are. I didn't give a shit where we were going because anywhere we go, they won't be there. And that is the hardest thing to think about. I passed the time thinking about Gabe and what he was. He was the wolf that has been helping me all along and then turned into a man and saved my life twice. I wanted to approach Kate and say I'm sorry but, I know it won't do any good. How can a simple sorry bring back her son? It can't. 

Days have passed and Kenny said we needed to stop and look for gas. I was more than willing to come along because I couldn't be on that RV any longer. It was me, Javi, Kenny, and Tripp. The others stayed back and watched the RVs. We split up and me and Javi took one gas station while the others took the one further down the street. Javi hadn't said a word to me since before the river and that made me feel sick to my stomach. I swallowed down the apologies that were threatening to come out and instead told him I would check out the office inside. There was a couple walkers here and there but nothing I couldn't handle. I pushed opened the office door and froze as something was staring at me through the dark. 

"Gabe?"

Growl

The growl was the only warning I had before the animal pounced on me, sending my gun sliding away from me. It was a nasty looking German Shepherd with cuts and scraps all over his body. It tried biting my neck but, I pulled out my knife and stabbed it. Over and over again. The dog slouched against me and blood went all over my face but I didn't care. It felt good killing the dog and gave me the workout I'd been needing. I looked up once more at the canine and immediately stopped stabbing it. It's eyes were golden yellow and it's fur had turned black with some brown in it. 

Gabe. 

I let out a sob before clutching the dead animal to my chest and apologizing to it. 

"I'm so sorry, Gabe. I shouldn't have said it was your fault because it wasn't. It shouldn't have been you, it should've been me."

I rocked the animal back and forth before feeling a hand touch my shoulder. I whipped around to see Javi standing behind me with a sympathetic look on his face. I looked back and seen it was the German Shepard I had holding and pushed it aside before diving into Javi. He held me tight and quietly shushed me as I began sobbing. 

"It's all my fault. It should've been me instead of Gabe. He said he loved me but, how can he love me when I said that to him? How can someone love someone as fucked up as me?"

Javi pulled me and back and made me look up at him. 

"Clementine, you listen and you listen good. Gabe loved you from the very beginning and he swore to me that he would protect you with his life. He also showed you his secret that he hasn't shown anybody because he's ashamed of it. His father would chain him up and make him transform before making him kill everything in sight. Gabe thought he was a monster but, you showed him that he's more than that. And I can't thank you enough for that."

I shook my head at Javi's words as my vision was blurred with tears. I started to respond to him but, was cut off by three gunshots. I jerked away from Javi and turned towards where the sounds came from. 

"Fuck, they sounded like they can from the RVs! Let's go!"

We ran to the RVs but, didn't see anyone else. My breathing grew quicker as me and Javi searches for any sign of them. I didn't see anyone and I heard Javi curse from beside me. I looked where he was looking and seen Russell, Shel, and Molly all lined up on the side of the RV. Each had a bullet through their heads but, that wasn't why Javi cursed. No, that was because of what was written on the RV above them. Blood was dripping from each letter on the RV and it sent a bad shiver through me. 

WE HAVE YOUR PEOPLE, JAVI. COME JOIN US AT RICHMOND AND SEE IF YOU CAN RESCUE THEM LIKE THE HERO YOU ARE. —YOUR BIG BROTHER

I turned to Javi as I seen hate fill his eyes and gave him a look. 

"Javi, tell me this isn't who I think it is."

Javi sighed and kicked the RV in frustration before answering. 

"Yeah, Clem. It's my brother, David. Gabe's dad."


	23. Kicking Ass and Not Taking Names

     "So, why did your brother do this? I mean I know he's a dick from all the things I've heard from Gabe but, this seems personal. And it's like he's been following us."

     Javi didn't answer me, just kept his eyes on the road and sped up a bit. I rolled my eyes at his silence and looked out the window. Apparently Javi knew where this Richmond was and it was strange about why he knew. I knew I wouldn't get an answer about that either so, I just stare out the window and think. 

     I think about Gabe and a little more about what exactly he said to me. My heart began to race as I recalled his confession to me before he jumped in the water. 

     He said he loves me. Do I even like him? Of course not. That would be stupid and cliché.......Right? I guess it doesn't really matter because he's gone. Just like everyone else. 

     While I was having this battle with myself, I didn't even notice that Javi had stopped the RV and put it in park. My thoughts had my complete attention before a hand smacked the back of my head. I snapped out of it and whipped around to glare at the fucking idiot who just hit me. 

     "Do that again and I'll fucking end you."

     Javi shrugged his shoulders and gestured out the windshield. 

     "Well, you were off in La La land and wasn't listening to me. We're here."

     I glared one last time at Javi before looking at the gates in front of us. They seemed pretty sturdy and I voiced my concern to Javi. 

     "Them gates look pretty non-penetrable."

     Javi scrunched up his nose at my use of words and gave me a grossed out look. 

     "Okay, first of all, never use that word again. It's almost as gross as the word moist. Second of all, we're sneaking over it."

     And with that, Javi got out of the RV and around the back. I followed suit and wondered what he was doing. Javi opened the back compartment of the RV and I couldn't believe my eyes at what was inside. Multiple assault rifles were piled up on top of each other, the ammo to them strung out across them, and a bag of grenades were tossed in the corner. I hadn't seen this many guns in a long fucking time and I grew excited about how much hell we were about to raise. I smiled for the first time in weeks and looked up at Javi as he picked up a gun and handed it to me. 

     "Ready to go fuck shit up?"

     "I was born ready."

     I grabbed the bag of grenades and placed them around my neck and then we were off. The place was heavily surrounded with guards but, they were easily taken out by mine and Javi's knife. Javi pointed towards a big building that had spotlights around it and then to me before walking ahead. I understood his gesture and followed him around the building, looking for some kind of entrance. I watched around us for any bad guys while Javi searched. My eyes scanned the dark land with multiple buildings but, they stopped short on a small building that seemed to be surrounded by barbed wire. 

     "Hey, Javi. Why is that building have all that shit around it?"

     Silence. 

     "Javi?"

     I turn around and look for Javi but, all I see is an open door with a dead guy next to it. I rolled my eyes and followed Javi's path of destruction. The building had several floors and cells on each level. It was a fucking prison. I was making my way up the stairs when I heard shouts come from the top floor. 

     "Goddamnit, Javi. Why couldn't you have waited on me?"

     I hustled up the stairs as the shouts got louder before I finally reached the top but, had to stop. Javi was throwing fists with an older gentleman that looked almost like him. Beside them was a guard that seen me and took a shot at me before I put a bullet in him. 

     Woah, too close. Well, that must be David. David the asshole. 

     Javi seemed to be winning the fight and I heard someone whisper my name. I glanced around and seen Kate standing in one of the cells. I ran over to her and she pointed to the left where a set of keys were hanging. I opened her cell and grabbed her by the shoulders. 

     "Kate, where's everyone else?"

     "There in other cells below us. Give me the keys and I'll go get them. You just help Javi and make sure he doesn't get killed."

     I nodded and gave Kate my gun before going back to Javi and David. They were shouting obscenities at one another and both of them looked pretty beaten up. Javi was the oblivious winner as David fell onto his back and spit blood up. He gave Javi a bloody smile and started laughing. 

     "Oh, little brother. You actually kicked my ass for the first time. I bet Pop is smiling down on you right now and Maw is telling him we should get along."

     Javi seemed conflicted with his brothers words but, sat down next to him anyways. 

     "Yeah, then they kick both of our asses for fighting each other."

     They sat there quietly for a moment and I seen David start wiping his face, as if he was crying. Javi was shocked at the sight and leaned down closer to see when David jerked up, knife in hand and ready to slice Javi's throat. I threw my knife at David and it sunk into his shoulder. Javi jumped up and away from David before thanking me. Kate came back up with the others and we greeted them. We all began to walk away as David started speaking once more. 

     "Aren't you that Clementine girl? Boy, Gabe has been talking about you nonstop. Almost as much as that Lee guy."

     I immediately stopped in my tracks and bolted back to David, taking the knife from shoulder and holding it against his neck. 

     "You're a fucking liar. You don't have them nor have you talked to them because they're dead."

     David laughed out loud at my statement and spit out a wad of blood. 

     "You're as stupid as you look, girl. It's a shame because when Gabe falls in love, there's no going back. It's set in stone. Too bad you don't know where I have him."

     Javi placed a hand on my arm as I reached back to slap David. Javi shook his head and nodded for me to join them. I want to put the blade of my knife through David but, I don't. I don't because that's not what Gabe would've wanted me to do. We all walk out and we're almost out of the prison when Javi falls to the ground in pain. A throwing blade is lodged into his back and I whirl around to see David smiling at us. A set of keys are dangling in his hand and I run towards him but, I get within 10 feet when an explosion goes off in front on him. 

     "NO! GODDAMNIT!"

     His body had exploded into thousands of pieces and the keys were gone. I turn around and see Javi pulling out the knife in his shoulder and holding a pin from the grenade. I run back to Javi and get in his face. 

     "Why did you do that?! He knew where they were and he had the keys! What the fuck, Javi!"

     Javi didn't acknowledge me and just turned back to Kate and the others before walking away. 

     "He was a liar, Clem. Once a liar, always a liar. I'm sorry but, Gabe and Lee are gone. And you need to move on like we are."

     I looked for help from the others but, they all turned around and continued walking to the RV. Kenny and Lilly gave me a sympathetic look but, they also walked away from me. Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes and I wiped them away and shouted at them. 

     "So, that's it?! We just forget about them and leave them wherever they are?! I thought they were your guys' family! Some fucking family you people are!"

     When I mentioned the family thing, Javi and Kate both whipped around to face me. Javi was the one who got closest to me and pointed his finger accusingly at me. 

     "At least we loved him and didn't string him along! You played with his heart like it was a fucking toy! And after all that he still told me to watch over you if anything happened to him! That's how much he loved you and you didn't even return it!"

     My head started shaking in denial and trying to get away from Javi but, he just kept advancing on me. 

     "My little nephew was infatuated with you and I had to listen to him cry to me about how horrible he felt for imprinting on you because he knew you could never love him. And now you want to like him because he's gone, well that shit isn't going to work because he's dead!"

     My mind couldn't keep up with the information Javi was telling me and I fell to the ground as a sharp pain struck me in my side. The others rushed to me and I faintly hear them say that I was shot and needed to operate and get the bullet out. My consciousness was drifting in and out and that's when I realized something. 

     I did like Gabe. Like, a whole fucking lot.


	24. Don’t Tell Me

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?"

A soothing voice awoke me from my medicated slumber. It was oddly familiar and comforting, making me almost fall back asleep. 

"Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide. So we've been told and some choose to believe it.  
I know they're wrong wait and see."

I felt a hand clasp around mine and I want to open my eyes and see who it is but, the medication I had been given was still in my system. So, I just let the person continue the song and allowed myself to listen. 

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me."

The person finished the song and I forced myself to open my eyes, almost not believing them. Lee sat in a chair beside the bed I was in and looking at me with a smile on his face. My heart jumped at seeing him again and I sat up in bed before bringing him in a hug. I pulled away and started looking around the room for Gabe because if Lee was here then, Gabe should be too. 

"Lee, how did you get here? How did you find us? Where's Gabe?"

Lee chuckled a bit and put his hands on my shoulders to push me back down on the bed. I frowned at his actions but, stopped when I felt a little light headed. 

"Clem, it's like 10 at night. I'll tell you everything tomorrow morning after we get some breakfast. You took a bullet to the side and you really need your rest. So, get some sleep and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Lee leaned over, kissed my cheek, and left the room I was in. I was rather taken back by his complete aversion to answer my questions and quite honestly pissed. Why didn't he just tell me and then we could go to bed? A yawn escaped my mouth and I pushed aside my thoughts as sleep overcame me. 

"GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!"

I bolted up in bed as Javi screamed into my ear. My hand found his throat and he started choking from my throat chop. He held his throat and walked out of the room gasping before Kate came in. 

"Hey, Clementine. You feeling up for breakfast?"

I nodded my head and, with some help from Kate, got out of bed and into a wheelchair. I could walk on my own but, I never rode in a wheelchair before and didn't pass up the chance. Kate wheeled me down an oddly familiar hallway and into a lunchroom. I looked around and figured out that we were still at the prison. Javi was sitting at a table with Lee, Lilly, and Kenny. Javi was still rubbing his throat and glared at me as Kate rolled me up to the table. I stuck out my tongue at him as Lee slid me a plate of bacon and eggs. 

"Well hello miss sunshine! How we feeling this morning?"

I smiled at Kenny's question and stuffed my mouth with eggs before giving a thumbs up. I devoured my breakfast and chugged the bottle of water that was given to me and turned to Lee He finished up his food and whispered something to Kenny before getting up and wheeling me out of the lunchroom. I didn't question where we were going and Lee remained quiet the entire time. Lee took me up the hallways and we came to a door that read exit above it. He took me outside to a little balcony and he sat down in a chair in front of me. I looked expectantly at him and he sighed and rubbed his face. 

"Well, let's start from the beginning. When you were shot, Javi and the others brought you back inside and looked everywhere for a medical room. Upon their searching they found me locked in a cell at the very bottom of the prison and let me out. David found me and Gabe on a river bank a little ways from here and tried killing us. Gabe said for David just to take him and leave me alone but, that's where everything went wrong. David smiled at Gabe's offer and shot him in the chest, in the heart to be specific, and pushed him back into the water. He took me as a prisoner and I've been here ever since."

I nodded my head at Lee as he told me the story and looked at him curiously. 

"Okay but, where's Gabe?"

Lee frowned at me and took my hand in his. 

"Clementine, did you not just hear me? Gabe was killed by David. I'm so sorry, Clem. I know he loved you and you probably liked him too. He saved my life and I'm sorry."

I shook my head at Lee and started laughing. 

"No, no, no, no. He can't be dead because he was with you and he was safe. But, now your back and I want to see Gabe! Now!"

I stood from my wheelchair and started limping down the hallway where we came from. I started shouting out for Gabe and asking where he was. I made it to the cafeteria where the others were still eating and ran/limped up to them. 

"Hey, have you guys seen Gabe? I've been hollering for him but he won't answer me."

Sympathetic looks were thrown my way and I backed away from them, shaking my head as tears started streaming down my face. I ran back to the room I was staying in and threw myself face down on the mattress as my tears soaked the pillows. My sobs started becoming violent and I could feel bile start to rise in my throat. My body lurched over the mattress as I released my breakfast all over the floor. My body felt it had been chewed up and spit out, leaving me to shiver at the used up feeling. A hand touched my shoulder and I looked up to see Kate crying as well. I clung to her as we both sobbed on my mattress and she tried whispering sweet things to me. 

"He loved you, Clementine. Don't you forget that and always know that he'll be watching out over us. I don't know why but this was worst than when we thought he died in the river with Lee. I don't know why. Maybe it was because when we found Lee, I assumed he was with him and fine. Now, I've lost my baby twice and I don't know what I'll do now. I assume he'd want me to watch over you and make sure you're fine because he was just that sweet on you."

I cried harder hearing Kate talk to me and I clung to her like a child does with her mother when she loses a best friend. I cried myself to sleep and found myself wishing that I wouldn't wake up the next day.


	25. I’ve Become So Numb

     People have become worried about me. I walk around with bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, my voice is hoarse from the screaming I do when I have nightmares, and my face shows no emotion. My body has become numb and I find times where I keep quiet more times than I speak. Me and Kate have become closer and sometimes when I have a bad nightmare, she comes in and tells me a story about Gabe from his younger days. 

     The stories help me and Kate just being near me makes me feel wanted and loved. Me and Lee still talk and hang out but, he seems to be avoiding me these days and I can't figure out why. Maybe he feels responsible for Gabe's death and my depression? Or maybe he's ashamed of the emotionless robot I have become. 

     That's all I am now. A fucking robot. And it's just because I fell for a guy who can turn into a wolf and then was killed by his own father. 

     I do still go on runs and the only one I want to go on runs with is Kate. She seemed to be fine with going with me and we usually go on one day runs. On days I don't go on runs, I'm helping Kate out in the kitchen or checking all the cell blocks for any walkers that may have sneaked in. 

     Helping Kate and her helping me has made time go by a little quicker. I didn't even realize that it was a month since I found out about Gabe's death but, Kate surprised me with a cupcake on night. She said Gabe would always eat a cupcake on his birthday because he said he couldn't eat a cake by himself. I split the cupcake in half and gave one half to Kate and we both munched on them in silence. A question had been on my mind all week and I finally decided to go for it. 

     "Kate?"

     "Mmm?"

     "Did you know about the wolf thing?"

     Kate paused wiping her hands off and nodded her head. 

     "Yes, I've known since he was younger. David had claimed that Gabe would be like him and that we should just kill him because Gabe might lose control and kill us. Mariana wasn't like them because of something with her genes. I begged and pleaded for David not to but, he wouldn't listen. The next day, David tried finding Gabe but this was the day that the world went crazy. David ran away and left us with Javi and he took good care of us. I later told Javi about Gabe and he believed me because he had seen David transform when he was younger. We helped Gabe become ready when it was time for him to turn but, he turned the night Mariana was killed by another wolf and Gabe fled."

     Kate smiled at me as she finished and hugged me. 

     "You're the first person Gabe trusted enough to let you see him transform. Did you freak out?"

     I laughed a little as I recalled the night Gabe showed me his other side. 

     "I fainted when I found out that human Gabe and wolf Gabe were the same."

     Kate let out a laugh before her watch beeped, signaling that it was midnight. 

     "Oh wow, it's getting pretty late. I'm going head to bed and you should too, we have a run tomorrow and this time I'm finding a chocolate bar."

     I rolled my eyes playfully at her as she left and I laid down on my bed, trying to go to sleep  for tomorrow. Minutes passed and I huffed in annoyance because I couldn't fall asleep. Everyone else would probably be asleep now so, I can go for a walk without being seen. I put on a pair of sweats and some shoes before hoping out of bed and down the hall. The prison was silent and kind of freaked me out band made me walk even faster to the exit. As I stepped outside, a breeze drifted on through and it made me shiver. Although spring was right around the corner, the winter season just didn't seem to want to leave. 

     The moon was big and bright in the sky as I walked around the prison yard and other buildings. My mind was blank throughout my entire walk and it was refreshing. I eventually found myself stopping at the place where David was blown to smithereens and looked at the ground. Grass was beginning to grow back from where the explosion was but, there was still some bare spots. I began walking around again before my foot kicked something metal. I looked down to see a shiny object and bent down to retrieve it. 

     Holy shit. It's the key David had in his hands. 

     It was light in my hand but, held a certain heaviness to it. Just as I was going to go back inside and lay back down, a loud bang came from the left of me. My eyes darted around the dark to try and see what made that noise and they landed on the building with barbed wire around it. My feet had a mind of their own as they started walking towards it to see what caused the commotion. Before I knew it, I was standing at the heavy looking door and was about to try the handle when a voice called out to me. 

     "Clementine! Don't open that!"

     I jerked away from the door as if it were on fire and looked to see Lee jogging over to me. My hand automatically slid the key in my pocket before he could see it. Lee came closer to me and tried the door. It didn't budge meaning that it was locked and he let out a relieved sigh. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at Lee. 

     "What's in there, Lee? And why is it locked?"

     Lee grabbed ahold of my arm and started taking me back to the prison. 

     "Nothing of your concern, Clementine. And it's locked for our safety. Why are you wandering around at one in the morning?"

     I jerked my arm out of his grasp and held it to myself. 

     "I can walk myself back. And I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk."

     Lee returned my glare and pointed toward the prison entrance, not giving me any chance to argue. I looked once more at the barbed wire building before walking inside and going to bed. 

     What is he hiding from me?


	26. Barbed Wire

     I know he's hiding something from me. And I know it's something big. I had been tracking Lee's activities he's been doing every night and it's the same thing, over and over again. He goes out to that building at 12:30 in the middle of the night with a brown sack and stays inside for nearly 10 minuets. Then, he comes back out and locks the door behind him. Three nights I've watched him do this and tonight I'm going to find out what's inside that building.

It was well after 1 in the morning when I made my move. Lee had already done his thing tonight and I made sure everyone else was sleeping before sneaking out and making my way towards the building. The moon was my only light as I moved quickly to the entrance of the building, digging the key out of my pocket and pausing. There was a slight sound coming from inside, it almost sounded like someone singing. My hands worked shakily on unlocking the door and I fought with it for a moment before a click sounded and the door opened. 

I took a deep breath and opened the door fully, the scent of blood immediately hitting my senses. I grimaced at the smell and put my hand over my mouth and walked forward. The halls were dark and had little lighting in them. My feet shuffled through the dark and lead me closer to the source of singing that was getting louder. I was getting closer and the voice was becoming clearer and I realized that it was very hoarse, as if it had been strained from hours of screaming and shouting. 

"I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh. I want to hold you high and steal your pain away."

I rounded a corner and seen another steel door that held the owner of the voice. It had bloody hand prints all over it and the stench of blood had gotten stronger the closer I got to the door. My heart began pounding in my chest but, I clasped the handle in my hand and opened the door. 

"Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome. And I don't feel right when you've gone away."

There was a cage in the middle of the room with a dim light shining down on it. Blood was splattered on the walls and floor, leaving me to gasp at the horrid scene I had walked in on. I walked closer to the cage and peered inside, seeing barbed wire around everything and also seeing something that made me completely stop. 

A figure was sitting on the floor in the middle of the cage, covered in their own blood and looking down at the floor. The figure was chained to cement blocks with barbed wire wrapped around their arms and legs. The amount of pain they must be in did nothing to hinder their song that they were singing. 

"You've gone away. You don't feel me here anymore."

The figure moved slightly as they finished and the barbed wire slit up his arms at the movement. Blood was literally dripping from them and the sight made me drop the key I was holding. The figures head snapped up and I thought I was going to become sick when I recognized them big yellow eyes. 

"Gabe?"

He opened his eyes wider to look at me before shooting me that smile of his that had my heart stopping. 

"Hey, Clem."

I rushed to the gate and found it to be locked with a padlock. I wanted to cry at the sight but, remembered that I had a bobby-pin in my nightstand in my room. 

"Gabe, I'm coming right back. I have to get something to unlock this and then I'm getting you out of there. Okay?"

Gabe smiles again at me and nodded his head. My heart did a stutter and I bolted out of the room and building before sprinting to my room. I didn't give a shit about people hearing me because he was alive. My feet had me in my room within seconds and I looked furiously through my drawers and grabbed all my bobby-pins. I also grabbed a spare blanket before sprinting back outside and into the building. I skidded to a stop in the room and ran to the cage, through the blanket to the side and began to work on the padlock. I felt Gabe's gaze on me but, I ignored it for the time being and focused on opening the fucking door. 

"Got it!"

I threw the padlock aside and swung open the door, dropping to my knees in front of Gabe. My hands went to pull him into a hug but froze as I recalled the wire he was wrapped in. Gabe noticed my hesitation about the wire and inclined his head slightly to the corner. 

"There's a wire cutter in the corner outside of the cage. It's kinda rusty but still might work."

I nodded my head and dashed out of the cage, spotting the cutter where he said it was. I grabbed it and moved back inside and started cutting the wire from his body. Blood dripped down from the movement and I wanted to scream in frustration but, I finally got it all off of him. Gabe didn't even stop to tend to his wounds, instead lurching forward and pulling me into a hug. I eagerly returned it, his blood now getting all over me but I couldn't care less. I felt his breathing become choppy and pulled back to see his face become pale. 

"Gabe! What's wrong?! What do you need?"

His eyes were droopy and his smile was now falling. 

"Nothing. I don't need anything because I have you back."

Gabe's body became relaxed and his yellow eyes rolled back. I barely had time to react as he fell down to the floor. I cried out and held him up, reaching for the blanket and wrapping him in it before kissing his bloody forehead. I laid him gently on the floor and ran once more out of the building, running to get Kate and Eleanor for help. I didn't want to tell the others yet because I somehow knew they had something to do with this. My heart was torn in two as I realized that they were the ones that were hiding Gabe from me. As I came upon Kate's room, I decided to make Gabe my number one priority. 

My number one priority because I loved him.


	27. Watch Me

     Gabe was now patched up and sleeping peacefully in my bed. Eleanor worked hard while Kate never let go of Gabe. She nearly fell to her knees when I brought Gabe to her room, Kate sobbed upon seeing her baby boy again. After I pried Kate off of Gabe, Eleanor began cleaning and stitching him up. I smiled when I remembered the last time Gabe needed stitches and slept in my bed. The two had left an hour ago but, I still sat beside Gabe and never let go of his hand. My fingers trailed across his rough palm and traced the old scars that were on his wrists. A feeling spread through my chest and it was a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time, happiness. 

     "Clementine.....Clem.....Clemmy."

     I felt myself being nudged and swatted the offending hand away. Said hand kept lightly jabbing my sides and finally touched one of my, very few, ticklish spots. I squealed and bolted up right and rammed my head right into Gabe's. 

     "Ow, fuck!"

    I rubbed my head as Gabe did as well before realizing where I was. My body was not in the chair where I had slept last night/early morning, it was now laying beside Gabe in bed. My mouth looked like a fishes mouth out of water, opening and closing with no sound coming out. Gabe smiled at my speechlessness and closed my mouth gently with his hand. 

     "You didn't look comfortable in that chair and this is your bed to begin with. Besides this bed was big enough for both of us and I didn't try anything."

     I began to speak but Gabe held up a hand, signaling me to be quiet, and looks at the closed door to our left. Gabe's eyes widen and he jumps out of bed and stands in the corner, far away from me but not out of range from my questioning eyes. Before I can even ask what he's doing, the door bursts open and I'm shocked at our visitors. Lee and Kenny stand in the doorway, looking furiously at Gabe as he is standing in my room with only a pair of basketball shorts on. 

     "You son of a bitch!"

     I see a flash of fear in Gabe's eyes as he hears Lee's words and he sprints past the two and out of the room. Lee and Kenny quickly chase after him while I scrambled out of bed, grab my gun and also take pursuit. I hear shouts coming from outside and will my legs to move faster and finally make it outside where everyone is circled around Gabe. Kate is standing in front of him and Javi is standing beside her, protecting him from the others. I push my way through the people and stand in front of the two who have kept Gabe from me. 

     Lee and Kenny. 

     Their gazes leave Gabe as they look down at me and try pushing me aside. 

     "Clementine, get away from that monster."

     I felt something snap in me at Lee's words and his hands tugging me away from Gabe was the last straw. My arm swung back and my fist connected with Lee's nose with a satisfying crunch. My hand stung like a bitch but it was well worth it after hearing his insult. 

     "Don't you ever fucking call him that again."

     The others helped Lee as his nose started pouring out blood and they glared at me. Kenny, who was standing in shock of my actions, came out of it and pointed at Gabe. 

     "I think it's time everyone knows about his little secret! This little prick is a werewolf! And don't give me them looks, they've been keeping it a secret from us. But, it's time everyone knows about what kind of beast you are! That's why we kept him locked up and chained down, so he wouldn't hurt us. Lee seen him transform in front of him and take apart one of David's men."

     I glared at Kenny as he finished his rant about Gabe and Lee had finally recovered from my punch. He stood on wobbly legs and, with Lilly's help, walked up to me. I walked backwards as he closed in on me and I felt myself run into something hard. I turned around and seen Gabe staring down Lee and Kenny. Lee hesitated upon seeing the look he was receiving from Gabe but matched it with one of his own. The others were still looking on with doubt in their eyes about the whole werewolf thing but didn't take their eyes off of the intense scene. 

     Javi, who had been silent through this entire confrontation, stepped forward. 

     "It's true. Everything Kenny has said is true. Gabe is a werewolf, as fucking weird as that sounds, but it is true. You don't have to believe but it's the truth. And as for you two. If you ever touch my nephew again, I will personally put you in whatever you had Gabe in and leave you to the walkers. Understand?"

     Lee and Kenny glared at Javi but nodded their heads. I turned around to check on Gabe and felt myself get pulled back once more from Gabe. I whipped around to see Lee and Kenny tugging me away from Gabe and over to them. 

     "And you are not going to be anywhere near him, Clementine."

     Anger rushed through me again at Lee's words and I carefully removed myself from their grasp. My eyes connected with Gabe's the first time through this whole ordeal and I smirked at him. Gabe looked confused at my expression but nodded at me. My head turned slightly to look back at Lee and Kenny and gave them a challenging look. 

     "Oh yeah? So, I'm not allowed to be anywhere near Gabe? Or even touch him?"

     "Hell. No."

     "Watch me."

     After that, I marched straight up to Gabe. My eyes connected with Gabe's once more as I closed in on him and he looked intrigued at what I was about to do. My feet had me standing in front of Gabe sighing seconds and my hands shot out for his neck and pulled him in. My lips crashed into his and I heard gasps from all around us but the only thing I could think about was how good Gabe's lips felt on mine and how he eagerly responded. Another thought crossed my mind and it had me smiling into the searing kiss. 

     I waited way too long to do this.


	28. Stuck With You

Weeks have passed since my little stunt with Gabe in front of everyone. I finally started talking to Lee and Kenny once more but warned them that if they ever did anything like that again, they'd wish they'd never been born. The others still don't believe that Gabe can turn into a wolf and he doesn't seem to bothered by it. Speaking of Gabe.......

He hasn't spoke a word to me since I kissed him. 

I've tried cornering him multiple times but, he somehow slips away just before I can talk to him. Hell, Gabe doesn't even make eye contact with me and it's tearing me apart. He has his own room/cell across the prison and he spends most of his time in it. Javi and Kate tell me that he's just going through some stuff right now and needs space. I don't know if he's avoiding me because of Lee or that he thinks that I only kissed him in spite of Lee. 

But, I'm going to him tonight to clear things up and finally tell him about my feelings towards him. 

My heart has been jittery all day and I can't control it because I'm really fucking nervous. I haven't felt this way around a guy since Luke and this is way worse than Luke because Gabe has told me he loved me. Just thinking about Gabe saying that has my heart pounding and my blood rushing to my face. I could barely eat breakfast because I kept looking for Gabe but, he didn't come down to eat. I asked Javi where he was and Javi said something about Gabe getting sick and weak. I immediately jumped up to go check on him but Javi held me down and told me it had to do with his other side. Although I was reluctant to let Gabe suffer, I sat back down and poked at my breakfast. 

The day passed quickly, I helped Kate make rounds and check on the walls and her garden she's been working on. Tripp and Eleanor went on a run to look for medical supplies and the guys took inventory of the weapons and ammo. Gabe hasn't been out of his room all day and my worried look didn't get by Kate as she finished up watering the vegetables. 

"He's fine, Clementine. I checked him this morning and he was running a slight fever so I told him to stay in bed. I think he's been having nightmares about being tied up and tortured by David. But, he'll get through it like he always does and then he'll be fine. Don't worry too much, Okay?"

I nodded my head and we finished up the rest of our chores before going to wash up for dinner. I put on a simple white tank top that clung to me and a pair of clean blue jeans along with a pair of converse. I tied back my hair in a short ponytail and made a mental reminder to ask Javi for a trim later. Dinner was simple, some spaghetti with a loaf of bread that Javi made from scratch. I ate fast and careful, trying not to let any food get on my clothes because I was going to see Gabe right after this. I cleaned my plate and grabbed some for Gabe before making my way to his room. 

The walk to Gabe's cell was spent in silence as I began to think about how I was going to start the conversation. I couldn't just confess as soon as I seen him and not look like a moron. Before I knew it, I was standing outside of Gabe's room and there was a sheet up for his privacy. I was about to go in but, a groan caught my attention and made me freeze. Then, I heard Gabe mutter silently to himself. 

"No, please stop. I didn't hurt her. Please, don't do this."

After hearing that, I grabbed the sheet and pulled it to the side before entering the cell. Gabe was only wearing a pair of basketball shorts and curled up in a ball on his bed, sweating profusely and tossing and turning around. I sat down his plate of food on a chair that was beside the bed and tried shaking Gabe awake. 

"Gabe, wake up. It's just a dream. Come on, wake up."

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Gabe sprung up and gripped my throat tightly with his hand. His eyes were wide and his pupils were little slits. His mouth was snarling and I could see his teeth begin to grow into canines. My hands tried taking Gabe's hand off my throat but it was pointless and I began to choke from the grip. 

"Gabe....it..s...m-e....Clem."

I barely managed to spit out the words but they seemed to do the trick as Gabe's hold on me loosened and I could breath. Gabe shook his head and his features returned to normal. 

"Oh my god, Clementine! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Gabe tried scooting away from me and his body started to shake as he looked away from me. I swallowed thickly and rubbed my neck before moving closer to Gabe and placing my hand on his bare shoulder. He flinched at the contact and tried scooting even farther away but ran out of room. 

"Gabe, it's fine. I'm fine. Are you alright? What was your dream about?"

Gabe gave me a look out of the corner of his eye but quickly looked away once more. 

"I was chained up again. I had blood all over me and everyone surrounded me. They said I ripped you apart and killed you. They put barbed wire all around my body so I couldn't escape and then they poured gasoline on me before lighting me on fire."

I was taken back hearing Gabe's dream and immediately captured him in a hug. He stiffened at the contact and I knew it was because of the dream. 

"Gabe, you would never hurt me and you know that. And I would never let them do that to you again."

Gabe buried his head into my shoulder and I felt him mutter into it. 

"But, why? Why me? I'm a beast and a monster "

It was my turn to stiffen and I knew it was time to confess. 

"Because I love you, Gabe. I love both sides of you and I always will."

     I closed my eyes as a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I felt Gabe move around and opened my eyes to find him inches away from my face. His golden eyes were staring deeply into mine, as if trying to see if I was telling the truth. Realization passed through his eyes and that smile of his grew on his face. 

     "Really? You really love me? If you say yes, there's no going back. You're stuck with me for life because I can't love again, Clementine. You will be mine and I will be yours, are you sure about this?"

     I sighed in exasperation and wrapped my arms around his neck. My face moved closer to his before giving the obvious answer to his question. 

     "You're going to be stuck with me and my attitude as well. So, I guess we're even. And I've never been more sure about anything else in my life. I love you, Gabriel Garcia."

     His lips smashed against mine as the last words slipped easily from my mouth. My fingers ran up his neck and into his hair, gripping it tightly as Gabe deepened the kiss. I felt his hands grip my sides before sliding around to my back, running them up and down it. I shivered at the contact and could feel warmth radiating from his body and tried to get closer to him. We finally broke apart for air but I stayed close to Gabe and rested my forehead against his. I smiled at him and brought him into a hug. 

     "So, I guess you're stuck with me."

     I felt Gabe chuckle under me and it sent a chill up my spine. He gripped me closer and his hand rubbed circles on my back. 

     "And you're stuck with me."


	29. Lovey Dovey Shit

     "Gabe, I will beat your ass if you do not get out of bed right now."

     I was standing at the entrance of Gabe's cell as he was still in bed and under covers, hiding away from me. It was well past nine in the morning and me and Gabe were supposed to go on a run today. His head poked out of his bundle of covers and he squinted his eyes at me. 

     "Bet."

     "THAT'S IT!"

     I dove on his bed and wrestled around with him as he tried pinning me down. I finally got him trapped under me and gave him a murderous look before he winked at me. I was thrown off by the wink and Gabe used my confusion against me and kissed me. That really threw me off and Gabe had me pinned under him before I could blink. He pulled away way too soon and I restrained myself from giving a pout. 

"We better go get some breakfast before our run today, you're going to need your energy so you can keep up."

I shoved him off of me and stood up with a hand on my hip and my eyebrow cocked. 

"Well, you're not the fastest runner around. I think I'll be just fine."

Gabe grinned deviously up at me and threw on some clothes and shoes. 

"But, will you be able to keep up with the other me?"

And with that, Gabe brushed past me and went down the hall to the cafeteria. I threw my hands in the air as I realized that he was probably right and then took off after him. 

     Breakfast was spent in silence, besides the occasional verbal jabs that I received from Javi as he seen Gabe's disheveled hair. After some serious talks and shouting sessions, Lee and Kenny have started accepting our relationship. Gabe no longer flinched upon seeing Kenny or Lee come close to him and things became better after they apologized to him. It felt good seeing Gabe joke with them and all of my guys getting along. 

"Hey, Clem! You coming? We better get a move on if we wanna get back before dark!"

I was shaken from my thoughts as I looked up from my empty plate and seen Gabe with my pack and ready to go. I stood up from my seat, threw my plate away, and waved at Gabe. 

"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming! Keep your panties on!"

I heard the others chuckle behind me at my comment and they all went to see us off at the front gate. Eleanor, Tripp, Javi, Kate, Lee, Kenny, and Lilly stood beside us as we checked our supplies for the trip. Gabe seemed to be up to something because he wouldn't stop giving me a side glance and then smiling to himself. I frowned at him and started to question his motives as he turned to me and handed me everything he had in his hands. 

"Hey, do you mind holding this?"

I took it all with a suspicious look on my face but Gabe just smiled at me and then winked. 

"Sure."

"Thanks, babe. Oh, and Clem?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to ride me?"

I choked on my own saliva at Gabe's question and turned bright red. I began sputtering on words but, my question was answered for me in a shout of rage from Lee. 

"THE FUCK SHE WILL!"

The others were dying of laughter at Lee's shout but, Gabe didn't seemed fazed by it. Hell he even gave me another wink before crouching down. My face fell as I watched Gabe transform in a wolf before my very eyes and could hear the shouts of surprise from behind me. 

"OH MY GOD! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? WHY IS HE A WOLF? WHAT THE FUCK? NO! JAVI, WHAT THE FUCKITY FUCK?!"

Tripp's shouting would've been hilarious if I wasn't frozen in my spot. Gabe looked over at me and gestured towards his back for me to get on. I once again turned red but quickly hopped on as Lee started approaching us. I leaned down against his soft fur and grab ahold of it before giving it a pat. 

"Okay, Gabe. Let's just take this nice and slow. Nothing fast, okay?"

I knew as soon as Gabe glanced back at me that I was in trouble. 

"You better not, you fuc-AAAAHHHH!"

Gabe took off running and I grabbed around his neck and buried my face into it. My legs tightened around his body as I tried not to fall off. Lee's shouting became quieter the farther away Gabe ran. My eyes were still clenched shut and I didn't even notice we stopped until I felt a puff of hot air hit my face. I opened my eyes and seen that we had stopped in an open field that was filled with daisies. I snorted at the tackiness of the situation and slid off of Gabe. 

"Well, isn't this just some sappy shit?"

I had turned away from Gabe to get a better look at the field and laughed at the sight as I turned back around to him. He had multiple daisies in his mouth and was sitting patiently with his tail wagging playfully behind him. I took the flowers from him and gave him a kiss on his big head. 

"Okay, Scooby Doo. Want to go solve some mysteries?"

Gabe looked unamused at my question and I held up my hands in defense before putting the daisies in my bag. I looked in the distance and seen the town we were supposed to check out and turned back to Gabe. 

"Fine, Cujo. Let's go kill some walkers and get shit done."

This time I received an enthusiastic bark and Gabe took off, trotting in front of me and playing around in the flowers. I shook my head at the scene before shrugging my shoulders and joining him. White petals flew through the air as we frolicked through the flowers and smiled as I looked once more at Gabe, who was now sneezing from all of the pollen we were stirring up. 

Man, I can't believe I love this dork.


	30. The Talk

So, I had heard from Kate that Gabe's birthday was the day after tomorrow and I wanted to do something special for him. I asked Kate and Javi what his favorite things were and if Gabe had any favorite foods I could make him. They weren't very helpful because they claimed Gabe would like anything, especially if I was the one giving it to him. However, Kate did say that Gabe use to sing and play the guitar and had one before the world went to shit. After hearing that, I went out with Lilly the next day on a run to gather supplies for Gabe's party and look for a guitar. 

"Hey, old lady! You coming?"

Lilly broke away from Lee during their goodbye kiss and gave me a god awful look. 

"Call me old lady one more time and I'll leave you on the side of the road 30 miles from here and make you walk back."

I waved my hand at her empty threat and turned around as I felt someone come near me. Gabe had my backpack in hand and my old ball cap in the other. I took the items with a nod as a thank you and went to put on my hat before I was stopped. Gabe twisted my hat around backwards and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek before turning my hat back around. 

"Be careful, Clementine. I know you don't need me to tell you but, still be safe."

I tugged my hat down so Gabe wouldn't see my blush and lightly shoved him. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine. I'll see you at dusk or a little after, okay?"

My hat was tapped up and Gabe smiled at me. 

"See ya then."

I spun around to follow Lilly, who was watching us with a knowing smirk. I quickly glared at her to shut her up and walked right past her and into the truck. We found this truck about a week ago and Lilly had already claimed it to be hers. I was sitting in the cab of the truck waiting for Lilly when I seen Gabe standing in the same spot, waving and smiling at me. My heart lurched at the sight and I waved back but, paused when I seen Lee come up behind Gabe and tap his shoulder. Lee placed an arm around Gabe and said something to him that made Gabe pale instantly. 

     "Don't worry. Lee just wanted to have a little talk with Gabe and sit down man to man or something."

     I nodded my head at Lilly's explanation and we drove off. I kept glancing in the rear view mirror but Gabe and Lee had already walked off together. I sighed and hoped that Lee wouldn't do or say anything stupid to Gabe that would scare him off. 

     Me and Lilly were making a run into a small clinic that Javi had been watching for months. He said there had been too many walkers the first time he went but now they seemed to spread out. We were supposed to be looking for bandages, alcohol, medication, anything that can be used to treat wounds or sickness. Lilly pulled the truck over a couple miles away from the small building and we went on foot from there and snuck around the straggling walkers. Lilly took lead and I watched her back as we crept into the dark building. 

     "Alright, you take the first three rooms and I'll check the back. Meet back here in 20 or come find me, got it?"

     "Got it."

     Me and Lilly made our separate ways and I started sweeping my rooms. I found a couple of supplies in the rooms but, nothing to brag about. I checked my watch and seen that it already been 18 minuets so I walked back to where the entrance was and seen Lilly walking back as well. She looked like she was hiding something behind her back but I couldn't really see it because of the lack of light. 

     "Hey, whatcha got?"

     Lilly stopped walking and smirked at me. 

     "How much do you love me?"

     I threw her a skeptical glance at the question and cocked my head. 

     "Enough to want to barf every time I see you and Lee kiss. Seriously, stop doing that in front of me. I think of him like my second dad and you're like my kinda okay step mom."

     Lilly shrugged her shoulders at my answer as if she was okay with it and pulled something out from behind her back. I gasped as I seen what she was holding and darted towards her. 

     "I take it back. I love you, like a whole fucking lot. Where did you find this? How did you know I was looking for one?"

     "Some poor guy had it in his arms and had a bullet hole in his head. I heard Kate and Javi talking to you about Gabe playing and grabbed it."

     I took the guitar from Lilly and ran my fingers over it. It seemed to be in mint condition, aside from the blood splatter that was at the base of it. A smile stretched across my face and I pulled Lilly into a strong hug. 

     "Thank you so much, Lilly. I owe you big time."

     Lilly returned the hug and laughed at my rushed words. 

     "Well, I'll remember that next time you yell at me and Lee to get a room. And you'll thank me again later."

     I was about to question what Lilly meant by thanking her again later but groans filled the room and we ran to the truck. The ride back was silent and we were nearly at the prison when Lilly pulled over. I grew nervous that she was actually going to make me walk back but Lilly laughed at my shocked face. 

     "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you walk back. I just promised Lee I would do something."

     "Okay?"

     Lilly seemed to be at war with herself and I was shocked to see a blush start appearing on her. Lilly let out a frustrated noise and turned to look at me. 

     "Man this is going to be fucking awkward but I did promise Lee. Fuck it. Clementine, do you know about sex?"

     "WHOA, HOLD UP! I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON!"

     Lilly seemed to be skeptical of my answer gave me a knowing look. 

     "So, you know where his pen-"

     "YES, OH MY GOD. STOP. PLEASE. CHRISTINA GAVE ME THE TALK. AND ME AND GABE HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT GOING THAT FAR."

     Lilly didn't seem to be bothered by my shouting, maybe even looking a little relieved that she wouldn't have to talk about that to me. Lilly placed the truck back into drive and we were back on our way home. The pieces came together in my mind as I remembered Lee wanted to talk to Gabe. 

     "Oh fuck. Is that why Lee wanted to talk to Gabe?"

     "Yeah, Javi said he didn't want to do it because he couldn't do it without laughing and Lee wanted this to be a very serious conversation. So, Lee asked me to talk to you and he would talk to Gabe." 

     "Great, this is going to be a lovely night at dinner."


	31. Birthday Boy

(Later That Night At Dinner)

     Dinner was just like a nightmare. I couldn't fucking focus on eating my food because my hand kept brushing against Gabe and I could feel him stiffen at the contact. I stole quick glances every minute to look at Gabe and every time I did, he was already watching me and blushing heavily. The others had obviously been told what had occurred and they wouldn't stop smirking at us. Lee was the only one not smirking and I'm kinda wishing he was because seemed to be in a horrible mood. Gabe flinched each time Lee stabbed a piece of food with his fork and then Lee would chew slowly, all the time watching Gabe as well. When Lee stabbed his dinner for the fifth time, I was fed up and slammed my hand on the table. 

     "OKAY, I'M DONE! YOU ALL ARE ACTING RIDICULOUS AND IMMATURE! ME AND GABE ALREADY KNEW ABOUT SEX AND WE DON'T NEED YOU GUYS MAKING THINGS AWKWARD! I'M GOING TO BED, GOODNIGHT!"

     I threw the rest of my dinner away and stormed off to my room. As I was leaving I heard a giggle come from Javi and then he said something about me saying the word sex. My mind was blown at how immature Javi could be sometimes and didn't know how Kate put up with it. I made it to my room and tore off my dirty clothes and threw on my warmest PJs and curled up in my mountain of blankets. The temperature had dropped tonight and it was a bit nippy outside. My teeth almost started chattering as a breeze blew in and I tried to block it out when I felt something warm and heavy behind me. Knowing that it wasn't a blanket because of the weight, I flipped over and seen Gabe laying beside me. His golden eyes were filled with humor as I shivered and scooted closer to him for some of his body heat. 

     "What are you doing here, Gabe?"

     He shrugged his shoulders and lifted my covers before sliding his body right next to mine. I sighed contently at the warmth radiating off of him and he pulled me closer. 

     "Well, I knew it would get pretty chilly tonight so I decided to keep you warm."

     I didn't put up any fight as sleep drifted over me and I buried my face in his chest. 

     "Love you, Gabe. Night."

     "I love you more, Clem. Goodnight."

(Two Days Later)

     Have you ever felt like the world was against you? Like just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, WHAM! They fucking get 10x worse. That's what I was feeling today and I just wanted to scream, cry, kill someone, or do all three things. I've been up since dawn cooking sweets, decorating the cafeteria, and making sure everything was perfect. And it had to be perfect because today was important. 

     Today was Gabe's birthday. 

     Kate and Javi told me not to make a big deal out of it because Gabe hated having a lot of attention but, I wanted to do this. I may not look like the kind of girl who does sappy shit like this but, goddamnit, Gabe is getting a party. And it's going to be the best party he's ever had. Lilly has helped me make some of the goodies but she wasn't the best cook. But, halfway through decorating, Javi came in and told me that Gabe was needed to go on a quick run with him because Javi needed to get something. That meant they wouldn't be back until later and Gabe would probably be too tired to do anything at the party. When Javi told me this, I was holding a plate with freshly baked cookies and I just snapped. The tray with the cookies went flying as I chucked it against the wall and walked away from the prison. 

     I walked around for hours outside in the nearby woods and just took a break. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, I was being woke up by Gabe and the sun was beginning to set. I jerked awake and gasped as I remembered about the party. 

     "Oh fuck! Your party!"

     Gabe rested a hand on my shoulder and laughed at my shouting. 

     "Clem, it's okay. I seen everything and I loved it, thank you. I was worried about you because Javi said you just stormed off after he told you I was going on a run today. It was only a mile away and took us maybe an hour to do."

     I grew angry with myself as I heard Gabe and realized that I completely overreacted. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes and looked up at Gabe. 

     "I'm sorry, Gabe. I ruined your birthday."

     Gabe seemed to look angry at me and I felt worse because I assumed he was angry about me ruining his birthday. I closed my eyes as tears rolled down but, felt a pair of lips on mine and opened my eyes. Gabe gave me a stronger kiss that I returned before he pulled away and sat in front of me. 

     "Clementine, you made this the best birthday ever. Wanna know why?"

     I nodded my head as he smiled at me and scooted closer to me. 

     "It's because you're my girlfriend and you threw me a party. I also found something in your room that had my name on it. Did you really find me a guitar?"

     I laughed lightly and wiped away my tears before nodding. 

     "Yeah, Lilly found it on our run together a couple days ago. Javi and Kate told me you use to play and wanted to hear you."

     Gabe stood from his seat and extended his hand for me to take, which I did and we walked hand in hand back to the prison. 

     "Well, I might be a little rusty on the guitar but can still probably sing. You're about to witness the next American Idol."

     I laughed at his cocky remark and deepened my voice and put on my best Simon Cowel face. 

     "It's going to be a no from me."


	32. All Good Things Must Come To An End

(1 Month Later)

"Heads up, Clem!"

I barely had time to react as a wave of water was splashed at me. I sputtered and spit out the river water before glaring at my now sheepish looking boyfriend who was wading in the warm river water. It was our day off and we decided to spend it down by the river. The weather had warmed up considerably and the sun was just right in the sky for me to work on my tan. Kate had snagged me a bikini on a run earlier and I was just dying to show it off to Gabe and make him trip over himself. However, I didn't realize Kate had also picked up Gabe some tight fitting board shorts. When I strutted out of the room with my bikini on and set my eyes on Gabe, I lost my shit. 

Let's just say that I had forgotten how good he looked when I seen him almost naked but....goddamn I will never make that mistake again. 

So, I stayed on the river bank and caught some rays as Gabe played in the water. He had found some rope in a shed near the prison and tied it to a tall tree beside the river. A person could've confused him with Tarzan as he swung down and made a huge splash of water. I started to see some of Javi in Gabe as he acted like a 7 year old child playing in the water. He tried convincing me to join him multiple times but I really didn't like being in water. 

     "Hey, Clementine. Wanna go see what Kate is making for lunch?"

     I opened my eyes to see Gabe dripping wet and standing over me. My stomach growled at the thought of food and stood up to put on my jean shorts and tank top and tennis shoes before joining him. I handed Gabe a spare towel to dry off with and we made our way back to the prison. Me and Gabe joked around with each other as we were walking and were all smiles as we stepped into the prison. Our moods dropped suddenly as we seen everyone huddled down together and listening to something on the radio. Javi was the first to look at us and waved us over with a solemn expression on his face. 

     "Clem, Gabe. Come sit down."

     Me and Gabe exchanged worried looks at his tone and walked forward. Lilly, Kate, and Eleanor were all in tears and the guys held them as they cried. As we grew closer to them, we heard an emergency broadcast being played on the radio. 

     ".....I repeat, in 5 hours there will be a series of bombs that will go off that will eliminate every living thing on earth. There will be locations that we will give where the military have built safe shelters and they can hold two people. These people must be healthy, fairly young, not genetically related, and the opposite sex because they will be our only hope to repopulate. We need to start over and become a functioning society again and this is our only option. Doctors, teachers, technicians, and politicians have already been selected and in their own shelters with seeds and healthy animals as well. Please stand by to hear where the nearest shelter is for your selected people. May God have mercy on our souls."

     Tears had started to form in the corner of my eyes halfway through the broadcast and I was shaking. Knowing looks were exchanged in the room and every set of eyes locked on me and Gabe. Lee started to approach me and I took a step away from him and also backed away from Gabe. Lee outstretched his hand for me and I viciously smacked it away. 

     "No! This must be a sick joke or something! They can't just kill everyone and hope for the best! No!"

     With that being said, I turned on my heel and sprinted out of the prison and into the woods. The others shouted out for me but I just kept running. My legs burned from the exertion and finally collapsed from underneath me. I fell to my knees and took shuddering breaths in, tears mixing in with sweat as they streamed down my face. I backed into a tree stump and laid my head on it's hard surface. My mind was going a mile a minute and as the tears finally resided my body just gave up and I passed out from exhaustion on the tree stump.


	33. When The Dust Settles

(10 Years Later)

"Mama! D took my toys again!"

My mother sighed loudly and looked inside me and my brothers room. 

"D, give your sister her toys back and both of you guys need to get dressed or you'll be late for school."

D stuck out his tongue at me before throwing me my toys and going to get dressed. I huffed at his attitude and put my toys away before also getting dressed for school. I didn't mind going to school because I got to see all of my friends there and do fun stuff. D was 8 years old and I was 6 going on 7. Mama always talked about what happened in the old world and that we should be grateful for what we have today. 

     "Duck! Mariah! Bus is here!"

     My little legs scampered down the stairs and tried beating my brother to the front door. Mama started shouting not to run in the house and we slowed down to a fast walk. We grabbed our lunches that mama was handing us and walked/ran past her. 

     "Hold up! Aren't you guys forgetting something?"

     The deep voice was surprising to hear and I twisted around to see my dad walking out from the kitchen. 

     "PAPA!"

     Me and D both threw down our bags and lunches before darting towards him. Papa was still dressed in his uniform and must've just got home this morning. He was a general in the army and he helped a lot of people each day. Mama is a vet who helps animals get better and they always have this joke about mama "fixing" papa but me and D have yet to figure out what that means. 

     "Hey, you little rugrats! Did you miss me?"

     D and I attached ourselves to each of daddy's legs and smiled up at him. 

     "Yeah, a whole lot!"

     Papa chuckled and swooped us both up in a tight hug before kissing our cheeks messily. I groaned in disgust and wiped away the slobber from the kiss. Papa laughed at that and set us down before turning to mama and giving her a sweet kiss that had me and D turning away from the nastiness. I got a genius idea in my head and turned to whisper it in D's ear and we both turned towards our parents with mischievous grins. 

     "Since it's a Friday, can we stay home with you guys and play? We haven't seen papa in ages and we really miss him."

     We pulled out our best puppy dog eyes and gave them to mama because I know papa was already on board with our plan because he gave her puppy dog eyes too. Mama groaned and covered her eyes before sighing. 

     "Alright, you guys can stay home today. But, you both need to clean your rooms before go and do anything."

     We cheered in victory and me and D ran upstairs to start on our rooms but, I did linger a little longer by the door to watch my parents. Mama wrapped her arms around papa's neck and gave him another kiss. 

     "You guys are going to be the death of me, you know that?"

     Papa chuckled and flashed her one of his famous sweet smiles. 

     "You wouldn't have it any other way."

     "Nope. I love you, Gabe."

     "I love you too, Clementine."

     I smiled at their words and left them to their privacy but not before papa called out. 

     "Mariah Lee Garcia, you better get started on that room or Donnie is going to get more ice cream than you!"

      I ran upstairs to start on my room so I could get some ice cream too.


End file.
